Terrorists have seized Air Force One thirty thousand feet in the air with the President, his family, and more than fifty other people on board. The terrorists threaten to execute a hostage every 30 minutes if their demands are not met. The official word from Washington is "no negotiations".

CIA agent Jack Ryan finds himself in a race against time to stop terrorists who plan to ignite a war between the U.S. and Russia by detonating a nuclear bomb at the Super Bowl game.