Photographer Chris Washington, portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya, finds himself reluctantly visiting the family of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), with concerns about how he will be received. As they travel to her family's remote estate, the couple hits a deer, leading to an unsettling encounter with a white police officer who demands Chris’s identification despite him not being the driver. Thankfully, Rose interjects before the situation escalates.
Upon arrival, Chris is introduced to Rose's family—her affluent white parents, Dean (Bradley Whitford), a neurosurgeon, and Missy (Catherine Keener), a psychiatrist and hypnotherapist, as well as her brother Jeremy. The family delivers uncomfortable remarks about black individuals, making Chris uneasy. He quickly realizes that the black staff at the estate exhibit unsettlingly obedient behavior. One night, wrestling with insomnia, Chris steps outside to smoke, where he sees Walter, the groundskeeper, fleeing into the woods. Shortly after, Missy persuades him to participate in a hypnotherapy session for his smoking addiction.
In a trance, Chris unearths painful memories of his mother’s death in a hit-and-run accident, feelings of guilt washing over him as he falls into a dark void Missy refers to as the "sunken place." Awakening, he believes he had a vivid nightmare, but now finds himself repulsed by cigarettes. Meanwhile, the housekeeper Georgina exhibits odd behavior, even unplugging his phone, leading to a drained battery.
As dozens of wealthy white guests congregate for the Armitage family's annual gathering, many show an unsettling interest in Chris, discussing the merits of black icons like Tiger Woods. Chris's suspicion grows when he meets Logan King, portrayed by Lakeith Stanfield, a black man acting peculiarly and married to an older white woman.
Concerned about the hypnosis and the bizarre behaviors he witnesses, Chris reaches out to his friend, Rod Williams, a black TSA officer. Attempting to photograph Logan reveals a startling reaction; the flash sends Logan into a panic where he urges Chris to "get out." Dean dismisses this by claiming Logan suffered a seizure. Outside the house, Chris tries to convince Rose to leave with him, but Dean hosts an unusual auction featuring Chris’s photograph.
In a moment of alarm, Chris sends Logan's picture to Rod, who identifies Logan as Andre, a missing person. As Chris prepares to leave the estate, he finds troubling photographs of Rose with previous black partners, including Walter and Georgina. When he tries to escape, Rose and her family trap him, and Missy once again hypnotizes him.
Chris wakes up restrained in a chair, where a chilling video reveals the family's horrific secret: they transplant the brains of white individuals into black bodies, leaving the original consciousness trapped in the "sunken place." Jim Hudson, a blind art dealer played by Stephen Root, reveals he desires Chris's artistic talents and sight.
Thinking quickly, Chris blocks Missy’s hypnotic commands by stuffing his ears with material from the chair. When Jeremy arrives to take him for the “surgery,” Chris makes his move: he strikes Jeremy, kills Dean with a mounted deer antler, and stabs Missy in a fight for his life. Chris manages to escape the property in a vehicle but accidentally hits Georgina, who then attacks him while possessed.
Haunted by memories of his mother's demise, Chris has a moral choice to make as he attempts to save Georgina, leading to a tragic crash. Then, Rose and Walter—now possessed—confront him. With quick thinking, Chris uses his phone’s flash to awaken the real Walter, who takes action by shooting Rose and ultimately turning the gun on himself. In a moment of conflict, Chris struggles to strangle Rose but ultimately cannot go through with it. In the nick of time, Rod arrives in a TSA car, allowing Chris to make his escape.
