Cellular biologist Lena s (Natalie Portman) husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) suddenly returns from a mysterious region known as the Shimmer after being missing for a year. When Kane falls into a coma Lena joins a scientific expedition to the area where she and the rest of her team encounter mutated creatures and strange hybrids of plant and animal life while realizing that they themselves are being altered in bizarre ways. Based on Jeff VanderMeer s novel this visually stunning sci-fi tale co-stars Jennifer Jason Leigh Gina Rodriguez Tessa Thompson.