After leaving their prom early, innocent Jenny (Renée Zellweger) and three other teenagers crash their car in the backwoods of Texas. In their search for help, they run into Vilmer Slaughter (Matthew McConaughey), a vicious psychopath with a mechanical leg, and his twisted family, including the serial killer Leatherface. As the group of friends struggle to survive the maniacal methods of torture, Jenny discovers the secret origins behind the family's lust for blood.