In Cape Town, South Africa, during the final years of apartheid, David Lurie (John Malkovich), disgraced by an improper affair with a female student, decamps to live with his daughter, Lucy (Jessica Haines), on her country farm. David quickly settles into the quieter pace of rural life and begins to make peace with the scandal. But trouble erupts when a group of black youths rob the farm and rape Lucy, leading David to question his place within the social fabric of South Africa.