When her plane is hijacked and crash-landed outside Bogota, Emma Cauldridge, a biochemist for a cosmetics company who is on a special mission of her own, is thrown safely from the wreckage. She watches as guerillas march the surviving passengers away, heading toward a ransom rendezvous point. An ultra-marathon runner, Emma follows closely behind, using her athletic skills and her experience in identifying wild plant life, to stay alive. Her skills become even more valuable when she finds an injured passenger, government agent Cameron Sumner, on the jungle path, separated from the group. As news of the hijacking and kidnapping breaks in Washington, the Department of Defense contacts Edward Banner, a former military man and current CEO of a company that provides special forces personnel in times of international crisis. Banner pushes the limits of his influence in order to find the hostages, Sumner, and the woman who stayed a step ahead by staying a step behind in the race for her