Peter Bowman (David Morse), an American engineer in a Latin American country, is kidnapped for a $3 million dollar ransom. Abandoned by her husband’s employer and insurance company, his wife Alice (Meg Ryan) refuses to give up on his life. She takes on the task of bringing him home but quickly realizes she can’t do that without help.

An expert in ‘K & R’ (Kidnap & Ransom), Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe) is Alice’s best and only hope for saving Peter. He takes on the job, but soon finds it to be trickier than anyone thought. Throughout the lengthy negotiations, Alice and Terry develop a mutual respect which evolves into a mutual attraction as they barter for Peter’s life with the guerrilla aggressors.

With the help of a fellow negotiator, Dino (David Caruso), and a trio of highly trained mercenaries, Terry takes on a do-or-die rescue operation that could as easily result in disaster as in triumph.