Upon arriving in Bangkok, American backpacker Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) is given a map by Daffy (Robert Carlyle), a drug-addicted Scot, which shows him the route to an idyllic island. Richard teams up with French couple Francoise (Virginie Ledoyen) and Etienne (Guillaume Canet) to make his way to the island, braving various dangers en route. The trio eventually reach their goal and discover a community of western travellers living on a paradise-like stretch of beach. Richard soon makes himself at home, embarking on a relationship with Francoise, but his new-found Eden proves to have hidden dangers when community leader Sal (Tilda Swinton) also becomes enamoured of him.