After terrorists release a mysterious virus on a small village killing all of its inhabitants, the President of the United States charges a team of scientists, led by Dr. Galen Bronty, to find a cure before the plague wipes out all humanity. He then goes into quarantine on a northwestern island to govern the country from a safe zone. But when a terrorist storms the island in a jumbo jet full of children, it's up to the President to somehow stop the spread of the plague before it's too late.