The film follows Gameau's experiment on himself, changing from his normal diet containing no refined sugar to a 'health-conscious' diet low in fat but high in sugar, equivalent to 160 grams (40 tsp) of sugar per day. As a result, Gameau gained weight, grew lethargic, and developed fatty liver disease. The sugar diet was selected such that his calorie intake was not increased from his normal diet. Interviews with experts attribute this change to the high level of sugar he was ingesting, and in particular suggest that fructose may be the main culprit. It is suggested that artificial sweeteners may be no better. The viewers are introduced to the " bliss point ", a term coined in the 1960s which applies here to the amount of sugar you can add to a food to make it optimally desirable. Adding more sugar beyond the "bliss point" leads to a significant drop in desirability. Following the experiment, he returned to his previous diet, and the ill effects were largely and quickly reversed.

The film follows investigative journalists at The Center for Investigative Reporting as they uncover efforts by sovereign powers, private finance, and mercenary groups to take control over global food and water supplies in preparation for potential production collapses due to climate change. The film outlines how several nation states and other actors use force, economics, and illegal mercenaries to take control of food and water stocks. The narrative begins with the 2014 purchase of US-based Smithfield Foods by Chinese WH Group, which the filmmakers say gave WH Group ownership of over a quarter of all pigs in the US. It then follows other hard-to-explain deals, such as the purchase of arid land in Arizona by a Saudi -based company, Russians hiring American cowboys to work in a region too cold for farmland, and Blackwater deals to secure land in Africa. They " follow the money " behind these strange commercial arrangements and identify connections between governments, commercial enterprises and legal and illegal military actors such as mercenary companies. The filmmakers ultimately draw the conclusion these actions are all part of separate efforts by these groups to position themselves to take advantage of collapses in food and water production due to the effects of climate change such as increased severe weather and drought. While the film is mostly archive and research image collages, it also contains some guerrilla film making, such as of the crew being denied access and detained at a Zambian airport.