In the face of strong but not incontrovertible evidence that an extremely contagious and deadly weaponized Ebola virus is loose on Flight 617, the President must decide between ordering what could prove to be the unnecessary deaths of 300 innocent passengers, and the possibility of an incomprehensibly large number of deaths among the population of the United States, "IF" the virus is present on the plane and it is allowed to land.
Meanwhile, at Edwards Air Force Base in California, a pair of high-energy missiles are being loaded on to a sate-of-the-art military fighter. The jet has been ordered to intercept the airliner and await the President's final decision. In a bizarre twist of fate, the pilot assigned to fly the fighter is Major Wilson Sheppard -- Mariah's father. From the moment the orders are received, Major Sheppard call sigh "Rebel" begins his own secret mission to find a way to save his daughter's life.