Travis (Adrien Brody), who has just lost his job, sees a job advertisement in the newspaper, with a salary of $14,000 for two weeks. Attracted by this, Travis happily goes there. It turns out that this is an experiment initiated by a certain institution. The researchers claim that the experiment will be carried out in a state prison. 26 participants, including Travis, are divided into prison guards and prisoners. The prison guards must manage the prisoners according to strict regulations, and those who disobey orders will be punished. Originally, it was thought to be a role-playing game with money to be won, but as the experiment progresses, the will of power is gradually reflected, and everyone seems to be lost in the role... This film is adapted from the 2001 German film "Das Experiment", and the story is based on Mario Giordano's novel "Black Box".