 Gambling losses and various lies told to conceal them finally catch up to Larry Bolton. His wife Peg asks for a divorce and he is fired from his job as a truck driver for March Chemical on the same day. He retaliates by abducting Peg and hijacking a March truck loaded with unstable pure potassium. The material can be easily detonated with water and Bolton plans to restrain Peg in the truck and use it to blow up the March plant. Dan Mathews, a policewoman, and a demolitions expert utilize a high-risk ruse to position themselves for a last-ditch attempt to prevent a cataclysmic disaster.