一個與世隔絕的南方三角洲社區，小女孩荷西波比和病弱父親過著困苦生活，然而天生的純真樂觀及過人想像力，使她始終對自然與宇宙和諧懷抱著信仰。直到某天，全球暖化造成的冰帽融化，釋放出古老神秘的野獸軍團，也使她的棲身之處岌岌可危…。在這個瀕臨末日的超現實背景中，為了拯救日漸凋零的父親以及一步步沉沒的家園，荷西波比憑藉著小小身軀與無限想像，試圖修復這瀕死的世界。她能否在大自然崩壞的衝擊時刻，找到屬於人類的真實生存之道，並從中體會何謂愛與勇氣？

Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink's tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he's no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack, temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink's health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.