The plot is centered on a colossal blast of heavily chilled mesosphere air spreading over the Earth after a solar eclipse, which (combined with the effects of environmental pollution), causes a hole to open in the ozone layer. The catastrophic event threatens to engulf the entire world in ice. As Hobart, Tasmania, is hit by the cold front with temperatures of below −70°C, causing people to die almost instantaneously, physicist Jack Tate (Michael Shanks) tries to find a solution while protecting his family.