The city of Chicago is gripped with terror after three bizarre and savage murders go unsolved. Amidst this public furor, both the police and the local newspapers are desperate to give the people what they want: someone to blame.

Barbara Mackle, a promising co-ed and real estate heiress, is kidnapped and buried alive in a coffin-like "capsule." From Washington D.C. to Miami, local police and the FBI race to find the culprit before Barbara's time underground runs out.