In Copenhagen an underground train judders to a halt and masked men take 15 passengers hostage. Philip Norgaard of the Counter-Terrorism Task Force heads a hastily convened team to lead the rescue effort. Philip is an ex-serviceman who has had his own experience of hostage taking, but his first challenge is to determine who are these men, and what they want.

Philip takes full responsibility for the death of a hostage and chases up his contact for assurances that his fears of recognising the main hostage-taker are unfounded. As political pressure to end the stand-off mounts, one of the hostages is taken ill and, not willing to free him, his captors agree for a medic to attend. Daniel tells Philip that this is their chance.