When a group of the most dangerous and notorious prisoners in the United States penal system are transferred to a new super-maximum security facility, parolee Cameron Poe hitches a ride on their Con Air transport flight only to find himself embroiled in a meticulously planned mid-air hijacking masterminded by Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom. On the ground, it's up to U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin to avert the takeover and prevent his overzealous superiors from blowing the aircraft and its passengers to oblivion.