An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon a small actual town of Chester's Mill, Maine, USA, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. The trapped townspeople must discover the secrets and purpose of the "dome" or "sphere" and its origins, while coming to learn more than they ever knew about each other and animals too.

In the near future, crime is patrolled by a mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.