Arthur (played by John Travolta) is a senior FBI agent who has handled countless major cases during his more than twenty years as a detective. But throughout his career, he has been chasing the cunning and deceitful terrorist Caster Troy (played by Nicolas Cage). The wicked Caster Troy is also the murderer of Arthur's only son, leading Arthur to vow that he would personally capture him and bring him to justice.
Finally, thanks to multiple informants, Arthur gets the chance to personally arrest him before Caster and his brother escape on a plane. After a shootout, Caster Troy falls into a coma due to severe injuries. Arthur thought it was all over, but then he learns from Caster's brother that before being captured, Caster had placed a powerful bomb in a crowded public place. No matter how much the police interrogated him, Caster's brother refused to reveal the location of the bomb, even at the cost of his own life...