Pi Patel is a young Indian boy who lives with his family and their zoo in Pondicherry, India. His father decides to move the family to Canada to escape the political unrest in India and to seek a better life. They board a Japanese cargo ship, along with the zoo animals which are being sold to North American zoos. During the journey, a violent storm hits the ship and wreaks havoc, leading to a catastrophic sinking. Amid the chaos, Pi finds himself in a lifeboat, his family nowhere in sight.

As the storm subsides and calm returns, Pi discovers he's not alone on the lifeboat. His companions are a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Initially, an uneasy hierarchy forms between the animals as they struggle for survival. However, as days stretch into weeks, and weeks into months, Pi must find a way to coexist with Richard Parker. They embark on an emotionally and physically challenging journey across the Pacific Ocean, which tests the limits of Pi's ingenuity, faith, and will to survive.