An airplane has crashed, causing the deaths of 53 people, but who is to blame? It's the job of Sam McBane (Glenn Ford) to find out, especially since the pilot was his good friend, and authorities believe he may have been drunk during the flight. Knowing of the pilot's exemplary World War II record, Sam goes on the search for the true culprit with the aid of the lone survivor, stewardess Martha Webster (Suzanne Pleshette), and reenacts the events of the accident.