Shortly after a crowded New York-bound flight takes off from Stockholm, a bomb threat is found on board. Anonymous hijackers demand that the Swedish government revoke its decision to deport a Moroccan man. If their demands are not met, the plane will explode if it attempts to land. The US and Swedish governments must choose between negotiating with terrorists in order to save the four hundred passengers held hostage at thirty thousand feet, or to stand their ground and pursue the deportation of a possibly innocent man.

Fredrika Bergman, familiar with the deportation case through her work in the Justice Department, now returns to the police force to act as a liaison between Police Superintendent Alex Recht, and the abrasive Eden Lundell, agent with the Security Service's counter-terrorism unit. But they soon realize that the plot behind the hijacking is far more complex than anyone initially thought.

As the hours pass, the team are running out of options, and the plane is running out of fuel...