见习特工克拉丽斯（茱迪•福斯特 Jodie Foster 饰）所在的城市发生了一系列专剥女性皮的命案。克拉丽斯奉命前去访问被收监的精神有问题的精神病学家汉尼拔博士（安东尼•霍普金斯 Anthony Hopkins 饰），以获取罪犯犯罪心理资料。汉尼拔要求克拉丽斯说出个人经历供他分析以换取他的协助。克拉丽斯的思维完全不是博士的对手，临阵败走了。 
　　又一名女子被杀，一人被绑架。今次被绑架的是参议员的女儿，克拉丽斯只得再次找到汉尼拔，汉尼拔给了克拉丽斯一些提示，他们的提示被汉尼拔的医生听见，医生立功心切，对汉尼拔实行严刑逼供，但汉尼拔什么也没透露。 
　　克拉丽斯在汉尼拔的提示下，一步步向凶手逼近。

　　1.Hannibal Lecter: You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What's your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamb? You know how quickly the boys found you... all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars... while you could only dream of getting out... getting anywhere... getting all the way to the FBI.

汉尼拔：你知道我是怎么看你的?你拿着不错的包却穿着廉价的鞋，看上去像个乡巴佬。一个整洁干净而强加进一点品味的乡巴佬。良好的营养让你的骨骼生长，可你还是贫穷白人的后代，是吧，斯塔琳特工?你拼命想摆脱你的口音，纯正的西弗吉尼亚口音。亲爱的，你的父亲是做什么的?他是矿工?他带着羔羊的臭味?你知道男孩们多快就找到了你……所有那些在汽车后座上令人乏味的笨手笨脚……你梦想逃离，去投奔联邦调查局。

　　2.Clarice Starling: You see a lot don't you doctor. Why don't you turn that high-powered perception at yourself and tell us what you see, or, maybe you're afraid to.

克拉丽斯：你看见很多，难道不是吗，博士?为什么不把你深邃的洞察力用在你自己身上，告诉我们你看到了什么，或许你害怕。

　　3.Hannibal Lecter: Jack Crawford is helping your career isn't he? Apparently he likes you and you like him too.

　　汉尼拔：杰克·克劳福德正在工作上帮助你，不是吗?很明显你们彼此都有好感。

　　Clarice Starling: I never thought about it.

　　克拉丽斯：我从没想过。

　　Hannibal Lecter: Do you think that Jack Crawford wants you sexually? True, he is much older but do you think he visualizes scenarios, exchanges, fucking you?

　　汉尼拔：你认为杰克·克劳福德想和你上床吗?真的，他有点老，不过你想象过他和你做爱的情景吗?

　　Clarice Starling: That doesn't interest me Doctor and frankly, it's, it's the sort of thing that Miggs would say.

克拉丽斯：坦白的说博士，我对那没兴趣，那是麦格斯才能说出的话。

　　4.Hannibal Lecter: I will listen now. After your father's murder, you were orphaned. You were ten years old. You went to live with cousins on a sheep and horse ranch in Montana. And...?

　　汉尼拔：现在我会聆听。在你父亲被害之后，你成了孤儿，你只有10岁。你去住在表亲的蒙大拿农场里，接着呢?

　　Clarice Starling: And one morning, I just ran away.

　　克拉丽斯：一天早晨，我只是出走了。

　　Hannibal Lecter: No "just", Clarice. What set you off? You started at what time?

　　汉尼拔：没那么简单，克拉丽斯。是什么让你出走，什么时候发生的?

　　Clarice Starling: Early, still dark.

　　克拉丽斯：很早，天还没亮。

　　Hannibal Lecter: Then something woke you, didn't it? Was it a dream? What was it?

　　汉尼拔：于是有事发生让你醒来，不是吗?是梦还是别的?

　　Clarice Starling: I heard a strange noise.

　　克拉丽斯：我听到奇特的声音。

　　Hannibal Lecter: What was it?

　　汉尼拔：是什么?

　　Clarice Starling: It was... screaming. Some kind of screaming, like a child's voice.

　　克拉丽斯：是尖叫，一种尖叫，像孩子般的声音。

　　Hannibal Lecter: What did you do?

　　汉尼拔：你做什么了?

　　Clarice Starling: I went downstairs, outside. I crept up into the barn. I was so scared to look inside, but I had to.

　　克拉丽斯：我下了楼梯走到外面，蹑手蹑脚的来到牲口棚。里面的场景太吓人了。

　　Hannibal Lecter: And what did you see, Clarice? What did you see?

　　汉尼拔：你看到了什么?

　　Clarice Starling: Lambs. The lambs were screaming.

　　克拉丽斯：羔羊们在号叫。

　　Hannibal Lecter: They were slaughtering the spring lambs?

　　汉尼拔：他们在屠宰春羔?

　　Clarice Starling: And they were screaming.

　　克拉丽斯：还有它们在号叫。

　　Hannibal Lecter: And you ran away?

　　汉尼拔：你逃跑了?

　　Clarice Starling: No. First I tried to free them. I... I opened the gate to their pen, but they wouldn't run. They just stood there, confused. They wouldn't run.

　　克拉丽斯：不。起初我想放掉它们。我打开了门，可它们却不动，只是困惑的站在那，它们不想跑。
　　Hannibal Lecter: But you could and you did, didn't you?

　　汉尼拔：但是你可以，不是吗?

　　Clarice Starling: Yes. I took one lamb, and I ran away as fast as I could.

　　克拉丽斯：是的，我带走了一只羔羊，拼尽全力的逃跑。

　　Hannibal Lecter: Where were you going, Clarice?

汉尼拔：克拉丽斯，你要去哪?

　　5.Clarice Starling: I don't know. I didn't have any food, any water and it was very cold, very cold. I thought, I thought if I could save just one, but... he was so heavy. So heavy. I didn't get more than a few miles when the sheriff's car picked me up. The rancher was so angry he sent me to live at the Lutheran orphanage in Bozeman. I never saw the ranch again.

克拉丽斯：我不知道，我没有食物和水，天气很冷，我想如果我可以哪怕只救出来一只，可是……他太重了。当我搭上治安官的车，我还没跑出几英里。农场主很生气，他把我送进波兹曼的路德教会孤儿院，我再没看到过那家农场。

　　6.Hannibal Lecter: What became of your lamb, Clarice?

　　汉尼拔：那你的羊羔呢，克拉丽斯?

　　Clarice Starling: They killed him.

　　克拉丽斯：他们杀了他。

　　Hannibal Lecter: Why do you think he removes their skins, Agent Starling?

　　汉尼拔：你为什么认为他给他们剥了皮，斯塔琳特工?

　　Hannibal Lecter: Enthrall me with your acumen.

　　汉尼拔：施展一下你聪慧的魅力。

　　Clarice Starling: It excites him. Most serial killers keep some sort of trophies from their victims.

　　克拉丽斯：这让他兴奋。大多连环杀手都会保留一些来自于受害者的纪念品。

　　Hannibal Lecter: I didn't.

　　汉尼拔：我就没有。

　　Clarice Starling: No. No, you ate yours.

　　克拉丽斯：不对，你把那些都吃了。