 Disgruntled engineer Jay Detterich rigs his car with stolen explosives hooked to a "dead man s switch" and goes on a suicide mission to destroy the chemical plant that terminated his employment. The plant is in a populous area and the Highway Patrol is instructed to treat the situation as a "Civil Defense Red Alert". Dan Mathews, a motorcycle officer, and a demolitions expert must risk their own lives to prevent massive destruction and loss of life.