The Darwin Awards are a real-life phenomenon presented to individuals who improve the human gene pool by removing themselves from it when they accidentally kill themselves in incredibly stupid ways.

Michael Burrows (Joseph Fiennes) is a brilliant detective with a special talent for profiling criminals. Siri (Winona Ryder) is a hard-nosed insurance investigator whose steeliness and "throw-caution-to-the-wind" attitude is exactly the opposite of Burrows's thoughtful hesitation. When Siri's employer hires Burrows to create a profile for potential Darwin Award winners-who are costing the insurance company a fortune the two begin a search for the answer to what makes these people tick.