Abandoned as a child in the marshes of North Carolina, Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones) raises herself, learning how to survive from the land and the creatures around her. Shunned by the townsfolk, who consider her an oddity, she stays away from people for the most part, and doesn't get the benefit of a school education.

As she grows up, she befriends and falls for Tate Walker (Taylor John Smith), who teaches her how to read and write. When he moves away for college, she finds herself enamoured with quarterback Chance Andrews (Harris Dickinson). But when Chance's body is discovered, Kya is considered the prime suspect and could face the death penalty.