萨罗(戴夫·帕特尔 Dev Patel 饰)和妹妹、哥哥以及母亲过着相依为命的生活,虽然贫穷艰辛,但一家人在一起相互扶持,日子过得依然温暖而又充满了欢乐。一次偶然中,萨罗同哥哥在火车站走散了,误打误撞之中,萨罗登上了一列开往加尔各答的火车,在那里,萨罗成为了露宿街头的流浪儿,并最终被送进了收容所。
幸运的萨罗被来自澳大利亚的约翰(大卫·文翰 David Wenham 饰)和苏(妮可·基德曼 Nicole Kidman 饰)夫妇两收养了,在两人爱的教养下,萨罗成长为了前途无量的有为青年。在学校里,萨罗邂逅了名为露西(鲁妮·玛拉 Rooney Mara 饰)的女生,两人很快走到了一起。某次派对中,来自家乡的食物勾起了萨罗对过去的回忆,他萌生出了回到家乡寻找家人的念头。
Júlio César stands on the ledge of a 20-story building poised to jump when he's suddenly joined by a mysterious, disheveled stranger, a "dreamseller," whose mission is to convince people to love life. A philosophical dialogue follows as the stranger talks Julio down from the ledge and invites him to become a dreamseller. At first Júlio views the journey as a "sociological experiment," but he soon begins to believe. Others join, and the "band of misfits" under the tutelage of the dreamseller visit sites as diverse as a retirement home and a funeral, delivering a lesson each place. The dreamseller points out the madness in modern society and invites others to embrace his ideals. As his influence grows, detractors emerge, but he has an answer for everyone, until Megasoft, the corporate monolith and a favorite target of the dreamseller, forces him into a corner.