Plot
In Lindenville, Washington, local television host and news presenter Lou Vanetti, discusses the comet Copernicus' path with Doctor James Mayfield, an astrologist and astrophysicist from the Storm Hazards Department (SHD). A piece of Copernicus splits off on a collision course for Earth. James' colleague Pam tries to warn James and his colleague Peter in North Alaska that the fragment will land not far from them, but interference from its comet cuts her off.
The comet's fragment hits Northern Alaska, generating the shock wave blast bringing severe damage to Canada, Alaska, and the Russian Far East. Peter is among the quarter-million dead, while James Mayfield is the sole survivor. He returns home to Lindenville, whose television set suddenly emits static, and is rocked by a small, unknown tremor.
Suspecting that this may be the result of the comet, he attempts to log into SHD to review the data Peter uploaded during the comet's impact, only to find his access blocked, and its data classified by the administration following the gag order. He becomes more suspicious when the sun unexpectedly sets at Eagle Peak and decides to investigate, eventually concluding that the Earth's axis tilt, and its magnetic poles was altered by the comet's impact.
James' son, Shane, meets Zoe and Kevin at the park, where the latter challenges Shane in drag racing to settle a dispute over who repays the damage to a telescope they broke during a fight earlier that night. As they prepare for a drag race, an electromagnetic interference and an earthquake that swallows Kevin and his car. Shane and Zoe escapes from the park and survives; while there, they notice an aurora unusually forming above Washington.
James violates the gag order by explaining his findings to Vanetti in an interview. which caught national attention, as well as the President of the United States, and his father, General Mayfield from the US Air Force, who orders James to be brought in for explanation, James tries to warn the President and Doctor Elman of the consequences of the Earth's axis shft, but they disbelieve him.
A 40 Khz electromagnetic pulse tears through Lindenville and across the world, resulting in a worldwide blackout, knocking out communications and killing anyone inside buildings, cars, and while using electronics. The President declares martial law. and orders all civilians to evacuate to emergency shelters. James instructs his family to evacuate to Little Brook where they will be far away from the electromagnetic fields that will feed its electricity and will generate shockwaves. However, Cynthia and Shane were forced to turn back and take shelter in a parish in Lindenville against James' instructions.
Heading for the parish, the surface gives way as the tremor hits, and Cynthia was nearly swallowed by the ground, but was rescued by Shane. Arriving at the Lindenville Parish, Cynthia attmepts to persuade the people inside to evacuate, but they refuse. Only Michael and Zoe were able to leave for Little Brook, before the electromagnetic shockwave fries everyone inside the parish. Along their way, Michael and the others were forced out from the car, the looter was subsequently electrocuted while Michael dies of a heart attack after his pacemaker was disabled.
Despite the vehicle being fried, Shane manages to restart the vehicle. At the same time, James and General Mayfield, along with the Russian Navy Captain Yulenkov and his submarine crew, dive and head towards the Mariana Trench, in a plan devised by James to drop two nuclear warheads into the bottom of the trench to force the Earth back to its normal tilt. However, the Russian Navy's diesel-powered submarine; the one necessary for the operation as it can remain functional even with the EMP shockwave, might not outrun the nuclear blast on time given its slow speed, making it a suicide mission.
After dropping the warheads, James uses the underwater volcanic geyser for the submarine to propel themselves back up to the surface right as the warheads detonate, saving the crew. The combined efforts between Russia and the United States ultimately became a success, saving the Earth. The film ends with James Mayfield returning home in Lindenville, and introducing Shane to his grandfather.
