A close-knit group of veteran miners commence what would be a normal day's work down in the Appalachian mines. With ever-growing safety concerns at the mine, section leader Zeke (Terry Serpico), struggles with the correct course of action, weighing on one hand the safety of his men, and on the other, the need to earn a steady wage in an economically depressed region. Today, however, fate takes matters into its own hands when a huge methane explosion rips through the mine. Smoke engulfs the men, forcing them to rely on nothing more than, brains, brawn and faulty self-rescuers that leave them with just 1 hour of air.