The Dog Stars 2026

The film opens in Colorado, in the year 2035. A major viral outbreak has wiped out a majority of the global population. In Erie, a young man named Hig (Jacob Elordi) works around his area with his dog Jasper, sometimes flying out into Denver to his old home, where he once lived with his pregnant wife Melissa (Sai Bennett).

While out in the city, Hig is spotted by a scavenger (Ewen Bremner) with a crossbow firing at him. Hig eventually scares him with his rifle, but the scavenger warns Hig that there is another tribe of hunters that call themselves “Reapers” who are much more violent and large in groups. Hig leaves the man alone and then flies to deliver supplies to a colony of Mennonites led by a man named Aaron (Benedict Wong). The colony have been exposed to the virus and are separated from the rest of what’s left of civilization, though they have plenty of supplies and electricity.

Hig flies back with Jasper to his home, which is an abandoned airfield that he shares with a former marine named Bangley (Josh Brolin). Hig wants to fly out to Grand Junction in the hopes of finding something better than what he’s living now, especially since he’s picked up a signal over the years since the pandemic. Bangley spots two young scavengers in the distance with rifles and he snipes both of them. Hig checks their guns and sees they were unloaded, but Bangley doesn’t take any chances and he burns their bodies.

Later that night, another group of scavengers starts to stalk the area. Hig and Bangley deal with them, but one of them fatally stabs Jasper. Hig is forced to bury his best friend next to Melissa’s grave.

Hig decides to head to Grand Junction. While Bangley does not like the idea, he wishes Hig well and offers condolences for Jasper. On his flight, Hig loses oil pressure and is forced to make a landing in a nearby meadow. He exits the plane and is nearly trampled in a buffalo stampede spots a donkey, following it to the home of a young woman, Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her father, “Pops” (Guy Pearce). Pops finds Hig with his gun and points his own rifle at him, ordering him to disarm himself. After Hig explains his situation, Pops orders Hig to leave.

Hig spends time trying to repair his plane and cutting down trees to make a runway. Cima takes pity on him and brings him food, but they eventually start to bond, and Pops eventually comes around to help Hig.

A large tribe of raiders infiltrates Cima and Pops’ farm, forcing them to arm themselves. They kill some of the raiders before boarding the plane. A few of them hop on board, but Pops and Cima are able to shoot most of them off, and they are able to take off and slice off one’s head as they rise.

Back in Erie, Bangley spots a large group of Reapers coming in at night, all of them armed with a multitude of weapons. Bangley sneaks through the darkness and is able to slit a few Reapers’ throats, but eventually the larger group spots him and goes after him. He shoots many of them down before they begin to bombard him. Bangley climbs his tower and snipes more of them until he spots one going for a rocket launcher. Bangley shoots him, but the rocket is fired and knocks the tower down, sending Bangley falling and killing the remaining Reapers.

Hig, Cima, and Pops arrive at the Grand Junction Regional Airport. They find a whole group of survivors led by a woman named Darlene (Allison Janney). While everyone seems friendly at first, it quickly becomes clear there is something fishy about them. After learning that Cima has medical expertise, Darlene attempts to force her into a marriage with one of the soldiers. Hig starts a fire that burns Darlene, allowing Pops to kill some of her guards so they can run. Other survivors chase the trio through the airport, where they discover tons of dead bodies used for cannibalism. After shooting through most of the survivors, the three hop back on the plane. Darlene talks to Hig through the radio about how it won’t get better, but he has Cima and Pops drop a stash of grenades on the airport, blowing up Darlene and everyone else.

The three return to Erie, where Hig manages to find Bangley, a bit bruised up but still alive. They gather what’s left of the supplies there, and they head to the Mennonite colony. Cima checks on some of the children there, while they later join the group in a musical celebration, with Bangley joining with a guitar.

At night, Hig and Cima go out into the field and look up at the stars, where Hig has named a constellation after Jasper (hence, “the dog stars”). The two lay down and begin to kiss.