Clint Eastwood is a mysterious preacher who comes to a gold mining camp near a small town in the mountains. The miners are in grave danger as a ruthless landowner decides to take their land, with the support of the sheriff. The only one who seems brave enough to save them is this preacher who came from nowhere and nobody knows his past or his real name. Why is the sheriff afraid of him? Why is he such a good shooter? Is he really a preacher?

The beautiful fugitive, Grace (Nicole Kidman), arrives in the isolated township of Dogville on the run from a team of gangsters. With some encouragement from Tom (Paul Bettany), the self-appointed town spokesman, the little community agrees to hide her and in return, Grace agrees to work for them. However, when a search sets in, the people of Dogville demand a better deal in exchange for the risk of harbouring poor Grace and she learns the hard way that in this town, goodness is relative. But Grace has a secret and it is a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever began to bare its teeth…