 An assortment of various people are randomly chosen to meet in Key West, Florida by a shady emissary, known only as  Mr. Bright , to compete in a cross-country, illegal car race for a $32 million prize. Among the characters introduced is Alex Tully, a Nebraska landscaper searching for his kidnapped wife when he s partnered with a shady woman, named Corinna Wiles, who claims to know more about the race and those behind it. Wendy Patrakas is Ohio housewife and recent mother fleeing from an apparently abusive husband, and during the first leg of the race to from Key West to Jupiter, Florid, she gets arrested for speeding. Winston Salazar is a recently paroled ex-con who joins forces with his younger half-brother, Sean, as a means to prove himself. Others include U.S. Army serviceman Rob Laird and his wife Ellie. Violet Trimble is a rebellious teen traveling with her nebbish father John who tries to keep the event to himself. Ivy Chitty is a teen from New Orleans traveling with two nurses, Leigh and Susan, whom she cannot stand being around.