2001年,昔日叱咤华尔街的戈登(迈克尔•道格拉斯 Michael Douglas 饰)出狱了,无人来接,8年未见的女儿维妮(凯瑞•穆里根 Carey Mulligan 饰)与他势同水火。不过,她的男友——股票交易员杰克(希亚•拉博夫 Shia LaBeouf 饰)却对他有些崇拜。杰克热衷清洁能源项目,但他的老板兼导师路易斯都劝他早日收手,并给了他一笔钱。没想到,公司因负面新闻债台高筑,投资银行的詹姆斯趁机收购。被逼无奈的路易斯卧轨自杀。杰克决心为导师复仇。他向戈登毛遂自荐,希望得到他的指点。戈登了解到他与维妮的关系,便提出了一个交易:杰克给他创造接近女儿的机会,他教杰克如何操作资本。为了复仇,杰克决定铤而走险,然而感情的翻转却让他始料不及……
A true indie film through and through, Elephants takes an authentic look at a modern relationship in a "slice of life" style, peeling away intimate layers to ask the question: how do you know when someone's right for you or rather, when it's time to move on? After a three year stint in prison, the charming but hot-headed Lee Riley returns to Los Angeles to win back the girlfriend he left behind, alluring and headstrong Kate Caldwell. Despite having moved on and grown into an independent woman, Kate agrees to let him stay while he looks for an apartment and soon enough, the pair falls back into their old patterns, losing themselves in an ardent relationship once more. Yet, as the free-spirited nature of their romance starts to tear down the life Kate has built, she finds herself losing her new identity but unable to let Lee go. Likewise, Lee starts to wonder if the buoyant memories from their past are preventing him from growing up and becoming something more.