In the dense rainforests of Mesoamerica, before the Spanish conquest, a young hunter named Jaguar Paw lives a peaceful life with his pregnant wife and son in a flourishing village. One fateful day, their idyllic life is brutally interrupted by a savage raid led by a powerful Mayan city-state seeking captives for sacrifice. Jaguar Paw manages to hide his family in a deep pit for their safety but is captured along with several of his fellow villagers. The captives are bound and taken on a grueling journey to the city, witnessing the horrors and the falling apart of their world along the way. This marks the beginning of a dire struggle for survival.

Upon arrival in the majestic yet perilous city, they are thrust into a world unbeknownst to them, filled with tyranny and ritual sacrifice. The civilization is in decline, grappling with famine and disease, looking to the gods for answers by offering human lives. As the captives face their grim fate, Jaguar Paw finds an inner strength and a desperate will to live. He realizes that his only hope of survival and the chance to reunite with his family lies in his ability to escape this hellish place. His deep love for his family and his fierce warrior spirit drive him to attempt the impossible.