Plot

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.

In an alternate version of Oakland, Cassius Green gets a telemarketing job and finds the commission paid job a dispiriting struggle as a black man selling to predominately white people over the phone. That changes when a veteran advises him to use his "white voice," and the attitude behind it to make himself more appealing to customers. With a bizarrely high-pitched accent, Cassius becomes a success even as his colleagues form a union to improve their miserable jobs. Regardless, Cassius finds himself promoted a "Power Caller" selling the most morally abhorrent but lucrative products and services as his connection to his girlfriend and colleagues fades away. However, Cassius' conscience arises anew as he finds himself in the midst of his boss' bizarre world of condescending bigoted decadence and his sinister plans to create the perfect subservient work force with Cassius' help.—Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

In Oakland, the company WorryFree advertises free food and lodging at the cost of a lifetime work contract, a practice deemed legal and not equivalent to slavery. A radical group called "The Left Eye" opposes WorryFree by holding protests and vandalizing their ads.

Cassius "Cash" Green (Lakeith Stanfield) lives in his uncle's garage with his girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson), an artist and Left Eye member. Struggling to pay rent, Cash gets a job as a Telemarketer for RegalView. Anderson (Robert Longstreet) is Cash's immediate manager, and he gives Cash the job even though he lied about everything on his resume. In fact, Anderson was the manager of the bank branch where Cash claimed to have worked between 2014 and 2016. But Anderson says that Cash as initiative and gives him a chance.

Cash says that RegalView will hire anybody and asks Detroit to also join the company part-time. Cash is not paid salary and works only on commissions from sales he makes. The first sentence of the script handed to Cash says, "Sorry to Bother You". Cash starts calling customers and can imagine himself being shifted to their location, sitting on of the front, having a conversation.

Cash has trouble talking to customers (and feels that he is incompetent at his job) until an older co-worker, Langston (Danny Glover), teaches Cash to use his "white voice". Langston says that on the call Cash has to pretend that he does not care whether he makes a sale or not. His bills are paid, and that he ready to jump in his Ferrari and go home at the end of the call. Cash uses the voice to excel at work, and his manager says Cash is close to becoming one of RegalView's elusive "Power Callers".

At the same time, RegalView co-worker Squeeze (Steven Yeun) decides to form a Telemarketer's union and recruits Cash, Detroit, and their friend Sal (Jermaine Fowler). When Cash participates in a protest at work, he expects to be fired but is instead promoted (as he has qualified to be a power caller). In the luxurious Power Caller suite, the lead Power Caller known as Mr. ______ (Omari Hardwick) tells Cash to always use his white voice. Cash learns that RegalView secretly sells arms and human labor from WorryFree.

Cash is uncomfortable with the job until he is shown his new salary. As a Power Caller, Cash is able to afford a new car and apartment and pays off his uncle's (Terry Crews) home. Through his newfound success, he initially improves his relationship with Detroit and boosts his sex life significantly. He stops participating in the union push and Detroit quits her RegalView job to avoid conflicting loyalties between the two, while secretly participating in the Left Eye Faction, an anti-WorryFree activist group.

Working long hours his relationship with Detroit deteriorates. She eventually breaks up with Cash, arguing that his immoral job has changed him, while he insists, he has the right to be proud of his success. Cash even ends up crossing the union's picket line, and one of the picketers hits Cash with a can of soda (yelling "have a cola and smile, woman!"). The video quickly becomes an internet meme. The woman who threw the can profits from it when she signs a sponsorship with the soda brand she threw.

Cash attends Detroit's art exhibit and artistic performance uninvited, at which she uses a white voice of her own. He tries to stop the event, but that only motivates Detroit to kick him out, and she later has "everything but sex" with Squeeze.

Continuing to close sales as a Power Caller, Cash is invited to a party with Steve Lift (Armie Hammer), CEO of WorryFree where he is goaded into rapping for the predominantly white guests. Lift is seemingly fascinated with Cash and invites him to a one-on-one meeting. There, Lift offers Cash a powdered substance which Cash inhales. Looking for the bathroom, Cash instead discovers a shackled half-horse, half-human hybrid who begs him for help.

Cash drops his phone in fear and runs into Lift. Steve explains that WorryFree plans to make their workers stronger, more obedient, and more profitable by transforming them into human-horse "Equisapiens" through snorting a powder that modifies their DNA. The transformation takes place when a human snorts a gene-modifying powder similar to cocaine. Cash immediately assumes he just snorted the substance, but Lift assures him he would not do so without Cash's consent.

Lift explains he wants Cash to become an Equisapien and act as a false revolutionary figure among them to keep them in line with WorryFree's goals, offering Cash $100 million for five years. When the five years are up, Lift says he will be able to take a "defusing powder" and return to his normal self.

Cash leaves in a panic, still worried he was tricked into snorting the powder. He visits Detroit, who tells him she got a video message from Cash's missing phone. It turns out to be a cry for help from the Equisapiens. To make the video viral, Cash goes on a reality show called I Got the Shit Kicked Out of Me! (using his newfound status as a meme), enduring a variety of physical punishments in order to get the video played.

The plan backfires as Lift's plot is hailed as a ground-breaking scientific advancement, and WorryFree's stock reaches an all-time high. A regretful Cash apologizes to Squeeze, Sal, and Detroit. The union decides to make one last stand against RegalView, now joined by Cash.

The next day, Cash uses a security code from the Equisapiens video to break into Lift's home. He goes to the picket line, where the police show up and start a riot. Cash is knocked out by an officer. Later that night, he wakes up in a police wagon and witnesses the Equisapiens fighting the police, easily overpowering them with their superior strength. The Equisapiens save Cash, thanking him for his help earlier, and run off to keep fighting.

Detroit and Cash reconcile, and everything seemingly returns to normal-until Cash starts to grow horse nostrils. A fully transformed Cash leads a mob of Equisapiens to Lift's house. Cash calls over the intercom and remarks "sorry to bother you" before leading the mob to break down the door.