On a normal afternoon for accountant Gene Watson, the minutes and hours pass with little notice or concern. Not today. He is about to experience the sort of drama that holds morbid fascination when splashed across the news. Random chance has just placed him in one of those horrific, incredulous situations. Arriving at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles for an appointment, Gene and his six-year-old daughter Lynn are suddenly taken hostage by police impostors. Gene is told he must commit a murder within the next 90 minutes or his daughter will die. The target of his deadly assignment is an innocent public figure. Any effort Watson makes to go to the authorities is stymied by the sure knowledge that the kidnappers will retaliate by killing his daughter. In his frantic race against the clock, each moment has quick and deadly consequences.