Sightless aliens with sharp hearing have taken over the planet and killed most of the human population. The Abbott family — mother Evelyn, father Lee, deaf daughter Regan, and sons Marcus and Beau — live on their isolated farm in the middle of a forest in upstate New York, and have survived by taking up special precautions in order to make as little noise as possible, such as laying sand paths to avoid stepping on crunching leaves, and using American Sign Language when communicating.

When the family goes into the nearby town for supplies, Beau finds a toy space shuttle, which Lee makes him leave alone because it would make too much noise. As they are getting ready to leave, Regan secretly gives him back the toy, but without its batteries. When they leave, Beau secretly takes back the batteries. While walking back home, Beau secretly triggers the toy space shuttle, which starts making noise. The sound alerts a nearby creature which immediately jumps out of the forest and kills him.

Almost a year after Beau's death, the family has seemingly gone back to normal, with Evelyn several months pregnant. Marcus reluctantly goes fishing with Lee while Regan, upset that she cannot go, visits Beau's grave. While everybody is gone, Evelyn goes into labor; while going downstairs, she steps on a nail and drops a photo frame, which alerts nearby creatures. She flips a switch, turning the surrounding lights around the house red. She tries to go upstairs but finds out that one of the creatures has entered the house. Soon after, it enters the basement; Evelyn sets an egg timer, distracting the creature and giving herself time to run upstairs. She begins giving birth in the bathtub upstairs as the creature slowly makes its way towards her. Lee and Marcus, who are back from fishing, notice the red lights and set off fireworks to create a diversion.

Regan, seeing the fireworks, runs back to the house. Lee then enters the house and brings the baby and Evelyn into the basement. The baby cries, alerting a creature into the basement. This creature fails to find the source, but breaks some water pipes. Marcus and Regan go to the top of a silo and light a fire. Meanwhile, Evelyn wakes up in the flooded basement with the beast still inside; she hides behind a waterfront as this creature moves towards her.

After getting into an argument, Marcus falls through the silo's roof, and Regan jumps in after him. The creature in the basement runs towards the silo and attacks Regan and Marcus. Regan squeezes her cochlear implant, making a high pitched noise. The creature, in pain, runs off, breaking a hole in the silo. Lee finds Regan and Marcus, and tells them to get in his truck and drive back to the house. A creature then appears, attacks Lee, and wounds him; Marcus screams inside the truck, turning the creature's attention to them. Lee, realizing that his children are about to die unless he intervenes, signs to Regan that he has always loved her, before screaming loudly. The creature then kills Lee, giving Regan and Marcus time to drive back to the house.