A team of criminals led by mastermind Peter Branson kidnaps the President of the United States and his two guests from the Middle East, a prince and a king, on San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. Branson and his men block off both ends of the bridge, wire it with explosives, and demand half a billion dollars and a full pardon. Any rescue attempts will result in the detonation of the explosives, killing the President and destroying the Golden Gate Bridge. But Branson is an ego-maniac, and he can't resist attention from the media. So he invites the press to stay on the bridge and cover the story. One of the journalists is actually undercover FBI Special Agent Paul Revson, who is determined to foil Branson's plans and rescue the President.
Revson receives the help of a doctor and a female journalist. Together they plot and plan and slowly, with help from superiors and unexpected quarters, break down all of Branson’s masterminded ideas. They smuggle messages and weapons on and off the bridge by devious and unusual ways.