Under the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah, Iran experiences an oil-driven economic boom, but the government’s excesses and repressive tactics lead to increasing hostility towards the monarch and his closest ally: the United States. As religious cleric Ayatollah Khomeini grows in popularity, the Shah flees and the country becomes engulfed in revolution, endangering the U.S. embassy.
After Dr. Ellen Sanders, a prominent Washington D.C. surgeon, is handpicked to operate on the President of the United States, rogue FBI agent Duncan Carlisle and armed intruders suddenly take her and her family hostage.