Unlike the strip's non-linear, stream of consciousness, absurdist cut-and-paste sort of structure, the film has a standard timeline. The plot revolves around the fact that Tank Girl and her rebel group are attacked by Water & Power, a powerful force that controls the remaining water on a dystopian Earth, led by Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell). A young girl named Sam (TG's boyfriend's daughter, as it's revealed in The Making of... book) is abducted and the story revolves around TG's quest to save her and seek vengeance against those who killed her crew with the help of Jet Girl (Naomi Watts), Sub Girl (Ann Cusack), the rippers and Booga (Jeff Kober), who has a noticeably different personality than in the comics.