Quoted from mrgone:the game will be much easier to understand if you have seen the movies or read the books.
with that said play it a few times and see if you like it. even if you get bored with it it will be easy to sell as is White Water.
Agreed. This is very much a story driven game. You don't have to know the story to learn the rules, but it sure doesn't hurt. If the theme has absolutely no appeal to you, I'd recommend you stay clear. I'm not saying it wouldn't still be fun, I'm just saying it wouldn't be AS fun.