In an unidentified country in Southeast Asia, the Prime Minister closes a deal with a representative of Cardiff, an American company specializing in water systems. After the representative leaves, a group of armed rebels initiate a coup d'état and assassinate the Prime Minister.

Seventeen hours earlier, Jack Dwyer, a new Cardiff employee, arrives in the country with his wife Annie and their young daughters Lucy and Briegel "Beeze". At the airport, they run into a Briton named Hammond and his local friend, nicknamed Kenny Rogers, who give the Dwyers a ride to their hotel.

The next morning, Jack leaves the hotel to buy a newspaper and inadvertently finds himself in the middle of a confrontation between armed protesters and riot police. The two forces clash violently as Jack makes his escape, and the protestors gain the upper hand.