2022年,地球已经被过度工业化生产和过度人口污染破坏到一定程度。乡村已经被污染不能住人,并且被政府控制,人们只能挤在城市里。新鲜食物,如新鲜蔬菜,肉,水果都非常稀少,只有有钱/有权人才可以买得起。普通人/一般老百姓只能吃得起每个星期二政府免费发的Soylent Green食品生产公司生产的饼干-Soylent Green。公司在媒体上宣传说这种饼干是用海水和黄豆做的,黄豆=SOY,饼干的颜色是绿色的,所以叫Soylent Green. 一个住在纽约的警察在侦查一状谋杀案的时候偶然发现了政府和Soylent Green公司的秘密。In 2022, Earth is overpopulated and totally polluted; the natural resources have been exhausted and the nourishment of the population is provided by Soylent Industries, a company that makes a food consisting of plankton from the oceans. In New York City, when Soylent's member of the board William R. Simonson is murdered apparently by a burglar at the Chelsea Towers West where he lives, efficient Detective Thorn is assigned to investigate the case with his partner Solomon "Sol" Roth. Thorn comes to the fancy apartment and meets Simonson's bodyguard Tab Fielding and the "furniture" (woman that is rented together with the flat) Shirl and the detective concludes that the executive was not victim of burglary but executed. Further, he finds that the Governor Santini and other powerful men want to disrupt and end Thorn's investigation. But Thorn continues his work and discovers a bizarre and disturbing secret of the ingredient used to manufacture Soylent Green.