In the dead of night, at a motel just outside Emory University in Georgia, Jane Mackle and her teenage daughter Barbara are awakened by a knock on the door. When Jane opens it, a pair of masked assailants burst inside, tie her up and drag Barbara out of the room and into a car. Shortly thereafter, a ransom note is discovered that describes the girl's disturbing fate: trapped inside a ventilated, coffin-like capsule six feet underground, with a limited supply of air, water and food - somewhere. The FBI races to satisfy the ransom demands, find the burial place and unmask the kidnappers-before Barbara's time runs out.
