A terrorist political movement is active in a South American republic. One of their members is due to be executed, but the London branch of the group have kidnapped the adult daughter of the President (in London) and they will kill her if the execution goes ahead. An American commercial pilot is unwittingly used by the group to dump a packing case in the sea from a plane, to generate public attention to the issue. The police accuse him of knowingly being involved with them, but this is obviously a false trail. The London group think he may be useful to them, and he too is abducted and taken to the headquarters of the group in London; the girl is being held there too. The President is informed about his daughter's situation, but if he cancels the execution to save his daughter, his political credibility will be lost, and the Republic will fall into anarchy, and he is resolute. The group try to get the girl to appeal to her father, and when she refuses, they try to get the American to coerce her into doing so. This fails too, but the two of them are being held together in the same room, so they can support one another. The American tries sending messages on slips of paper dropped into the street, but no-one realises what they are. The hour of the execution is drawing closer, the President signs the decree of execution. What will happen to the girl and the American?