Tom Collier (Christian Pedersan) shocks his moneyed father Rufus (James Laster), lawyer Owen Arthur (Konya Hood), and nosy neighbor Grace Macomber (Anne Bailis) by suddenly announcing his engagement to poor but eminently respectable socialite Cecelia Henry (Kristina Valada-Viars). A fragmented whirligig of romantic intrigue, Animal Husbandry is a word-for-word production of a 1931 play, performed in modern dress.

Based on the 1928 novella written by Georges Bataille, the film takes place in a seemingly abandoned house where a group of people engage in bizarre wordless acts. Just as the book does, the film spans several vignettes.