本片改编自劳伦斯·奥斯本同名小说，小说故事描绘了在摩洛哥沙漠中，一对英国夫妇和当地人在一个豪华别墅的周末聚会上相遇的悲剧。
　　Speeding through the Moroccan desert to attend an old friend’s lavish weekend party, wealthy Londoners David and Jo Henninger (Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain) are involved in a tragic accident with a local teenage boy. Arriving late at the grand villa with the debauched party raging, the couple attempts to cover up the incident with the collusion of the local police. But when the boy’s father arrives seeking justice, the stage is set for a tension-filled culture clash in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences.