The story begins and ends in Montreal. A writer (Rafe Spall) who is looking for inspiration accidentally learns about the legendary story of Pai Patel (Irrfan Khan). Pai's father (Adil Hussain) opened a zoo. Due to such a special living environment, the young Pai (Suraj Sharma) has his own views on faith and human nature. When Pai was 17 years old, his parents decided to immigrate to Canada with his family in pursuit of a better life, and he had to leave his first love. On the ship to Canada, they met a cruel French chef (Gérard Depardieu). Late that night in the vast ocean, the storm that originally made Pai feel extremely excited instantly became a disaster that swallowed the cargo ship. Pai miraculously survived and drifted in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with the most unexpected companion - Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger. The magical adventure journey began unexpectedly...