Finn Earl (Anton Yelchin) has an opportunity to visit his anthropologist father during the summer, helping with his study and observations of a primitive South American tribe called Yanomamo, or "Fierce People."
After a series of events prevent this trip from happening, Finn and his mom Liz Earl (Diane Lane) end up spending the summer with Ogden C. Osborne (Donald Sutherland) and observing his very wealthy family on their sprawling estate in the 'wilds' of New Jersey. The summer turns out to be a life-altering experience for everyone, especially Finn, who learns more about fierce people in New Jersey than he might have if he had joined his father in South America.
