故事发生在1933年,格蕾丝(布莱丝·达拉斯·霍华德 Bryce Dallas Howard 饰)和父亲离开狗镇一路南下,希望寻找一个稳定安全的落脚点。一行人来到了阿拉巴马州,停在了曼德勒庄园的门前。 正当众人准备离开此地之时,格蕾丝忽然收到了一名年轻黑人女子的求助,女 子告诉格蕾丝,在曼德勒庄园里,正在发生一些惨无人道的事情。枝蔓丛生的曼德勒庄园庄园之中,时间似乎停止了,尽管奴隶们早已经获得了自由,但在这里,依旧沿用着森严的奴隶制度。不顾父亲的阻止,格蕾丝执意要留在此处解放奴隶,父亲留给了格蕾丝一些保镖和一名律师,绝尘而去,形单影只的格蕾丝面对强大而又固执的奴隶主们,会做出怎样的反击呢?After gangster Mulligan's cars colony, fleeing northern justice, finds a hiding place in Alabama, spoiled, naive daughter Grace refuses to travel on after seeing the Manderlay cotton plantation being run under slavery rules, called Mam's law, inclusive flogging. She keeps half of dad's goons as guard to force the dying matriarch-owner's heirs, which she shamelessly dispossesses and reduces to 'staff', to taste destitution under absurd, gun-imposed contracts. The 'slaves' are made free partners, supposed to vote for progress after lessons from Grace. But almost all her democracy-pupils prove fickle, dumb and selfish, except old Willem. Her and their ignorance in Southern planting and crafty Dixie ways means more problems are created then solved. By the time dad returns to pick her up or abandon her for good, she's the one who has learned and changed the most.