Bigger Thomas (Ashton Sanders) is a young African-American man living with his family in modern day Chicago. One day, Bigger receives an opportunity to interview for a job as the live-in chauffeur for the wealthy businessman Henry Dalton (Bill Camp) and his family. Bigger's friend Gus (Jerod Haynes) wants Bigger to participate in a robbery with him instead, but Bigger's girlfriend Bessie (Kiki Layne) convinces him to take the interview. The interview with Mr. Dalton goes successfully, and Bigger is introduced to Mrs. Dalton (Elizabeth Marvel) and Mary (Margaret Qualley), Mr. Dalton's radical and liberal, left-wing daughter.That night, Bigger drives Mary to a political meeting led by her boyfriend, Jan Erlone (Nick Robinson). Afterward, Jan and Mary take Bigger out to a local club that Bigger frequents, and the three become friends. As Bigger grows closer to Jan and Mary, he has a falling out with Gus. Bigger failed to show up for the robbery he promised he would participate in, leaving Gus to abandon it. Gus accuses Bigger of succumbing to the white upper-class stereotypes he himself had shown disdain for. After attending an orchestra with Mary and Jan, Bigger retreats to his room to find an expensive album he had wished to purchase gifted to him by Mary. In thanks, Bigger obtains drugs for Mary and Jan to take at a party.At the party, Mary and Jan get into an argument after Jan discovers Mary making out with another guy. Bigger drives Mary home and goes to his room. However Mary, who is experiencing strong side effects from the drugs, is dancing around outside half-dressed and shouting. Bigger, fearing he will lose his job if Mary is discovered like this by her parents, helps Mary to her room. Mrs. Dalton is awakened by the noise and begins to call out to Mary. Bigger attempts to calm Mary down to no avail and proceeds to hold a pillow over her face to stop the noise. After Mrs. Dalton returns to her room, Bigger discovers that he has accidentally smothered Mary to death. He then drags Mary's body to the furnace room in the basement and cremates it.The next day, Bigger is interviewed by two police detectives, named Calhoun and Rogers, who have been hired by Mr. Dalton to find his missing daughter. Jan, however, is initially the prime suspect in Mary's disappearance until one of Mary's pieces of jewelry is found in the furnace by another of Mr. Dalton's staff, forcing Bigger to flee.As police put out a city-wide warrant for Bigger's arrest, he goes into hiding. He privately meets up with Jan, who tells Bigger that he should turn himself in. However, Bigger refuses, aware that he will not receive a fair trial or any fair treatment by the racist police. Similarly, Bessie, who has been hiding Bigger, pleads with him to turn himself in too. Bigger convinces Bessie to run away with him instead, and takes her to an abandoned building where they spend the night.The next morning, Bessie and Bigger have an argument in which Bigger indirectly confesses to murdering Mary. Upon further argument, Bigger begins to strangle Bessie to death but comes to his senses and stops himself. Bessie runs away in fear. The police arrive, having been alerted to Bigger's whereabouts by some passersby who spotted Bigger looking out a window of the building. The police confront Bigger, who is turned away with his hands in his jacket pockets. Turning around, Bigger begins to take his hands out of his pockets. The police shoot and kill him, mistakenly believing that he had a gun in his hand.