In a dystopian future, humanity lives in an underground world after the devastation caused by a deadly virus that has annihilated nearly the entire population. The protagonist, a prisoner named James Cole, is chosen for a risky mission: to travel to the past and discover the root of the pandemic that has condemned his society. Thanks to experimental technology, Cole is sent to the 1990s, but the transition is anything but easy. Upon arrival, he finds himself disoriented and confused, facing a world that seems strange and chaotic to him.
As he tries to fulfill his mission, he crosses paths with a psychiatrist named Kathryn Railly, who begins to question Cole's sanity and his story about the "Twelve Monkeys," an extremist group linked to the release of the virus. As Cole starts to unravel the connection between the past and the future, he realizes that his own reality is more intertwined with the fate of humanity than he imagined.
The quest for answers becomes a frantic journey as he confronts his own mental demons and the mounting pressure to complete the mission before it’s too late. With shocking twists and ethical dilemmas, the film merges elements of science fiction and deep psychological analysis, raising questions about madness, time, and the choices that shape our future.