A psychopath nicknamed Buffalo Bill is murdering women across the Midwest. Believing it takes one to know one; the FBI sends Agent Clarice Starling (Foster) to interview a demented prisoner who may provide clues to the killer's actions. That prisoner is psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins); a brilliant; diabolical cannibal who agrees to help Starling only if she'll feed his morbid curiosity with details of her own complicated life. As their relationship develops; Starling is forced to confront not only her own hidden demons; but also an evil so powerful that she may not have the courage or strength to stop it!