Bibi Andersson

December 1979. An American-owned French operated Concorde super-sonic jet takes off from the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Captain Paul Metrand (Alain Delon) makes conversation with Isabelle (Sylvia Kristel), the purser whom is his current lover. They land at Dulles Airport in Washington DC. Maggie Whalen (Susan Blakely) is an investigative reporter who recaps the arrival of the Concorde and reports on the "Goodwill" flight on the Concorde the following day, which leads to a story of future boyfriend Kevin Harrison (Robert Wagner) and his Buzzard missile project. Carl Parker shows up at Maggie's house with a claim about documentation of illegal arms deals to communist nations. Carl is shot before a passerby triggers a fire alarm, scaring the assailant away. Meanwhile, Captain Joe Patroni (George Kennedy) introduces himself to Captain Metrand as being the pilot for the Concord flight to Paris and to Moscow for the upcoming 1980 Summer Olympics to be held eight months from then. The next morning, Maggie tells Harrison about her ordeal and the rumor of documents. Kevin claims someone is framing him. He sends Maggie off in a limo while he waits for his business partner Willie Halpern to arrive. Kevin tells Willie that Parker is dead, but they do not have the documents. Kevin asks what time the next launch of the Buzzard is. Willie replies 6:30; Kevin wants it delayed until 8:00 and the drone test reprogrammed. Metrand and Patroni board the Concorde. It is difficult to determine the pilot-in-command as both of them are captains. Peter O'Neill (David Warner), the 2nd officer and flight engineer, is living with a controlling girlfriend. Kevin surprises Maggie at the airline check-in desk to see her off. He asks if the documents showed up, but they have not. As he is walking away, Carl Parker's wife delivers the documents to Maggie as she steps on the mobile lounge. She looks them over on the lounge and realizes that Kevin lied to her. The Concorde takes off from Washington/Dulles enroute to Paris where, unbeknownst to the flight crew, an off-course ground-to-air missile is headed straight for them. At company headquarters, Kevin tells his controllers to alert the government. Patroni takes over the Concord as it goes into evasive action manouvers to evade the missile. The USAF scrambles F-15 fighter jets to intercept the missile just as it locks onto the Concorde. An F-15 shoots down the missile before it collides with the Concorde. As the Concorde is approaching the European coastline, an F-4 Phantom fighter jet, piloted by a mercenary, is sent by Harrison and engages the Concorde with air-to-air missiles as well as gunfire as French Air Force Mirages scramble to help the Concorde. The Mirages shoot down the F-4 and the Concorde continues to Paris, although it diverts to Le Bourget Airport instead of Charles de Gaulle because it is damaged by the F-4's gunfire. The Concorde reaches the French coastline, landing with a damaged hydraulic system and just barely stopping at the last safety net. Captain Metrand and Isabelle invite Joe to dinner as they wait for the Concord to be repaired. Meanwhile, Kevin arrives at Charles de Gaulle Airport, where an associate meets him, stating that he has another plan to stop Maggie from making public the documents before she reaches Moscow. Joe, Paul and Isabelle meet for dinner with a date for Joe as promised by Paul. Maggie meets Kevin for dinner. He promises to go public with the documents but attempts to bribe Maggie into "polishing" his statement. After being paid by Kevin, a mechanic, Rollie, places a device in the Concorde's cargo door control unit, timed to open during flight to depressurized the aircraft. The next morning, as the passengers re-board the Concorde for the second stage of the flight to Moscow, a well-dressed woman (Charo) attempts to smuggle a dog aboard. She is caught by an alert Isabelle and leaves the aircraft. Inside the terminal, Rollie is in line at the security checkpoint when his money falls out of his pants leg. The X-ray technician attempts to return it, but Rollie pretends not to hear and runs off. The security guard tells his partner to call security before chases Rollie. Rollie runs onto the runway where the Concorde is taking off. The aircraft's wake scatters the money he received from Kevin. The aircraft is en route to Moscow when the automatic device opens the cargo door. When Captain Metrand investigates, he sees the carpet tear down the middle of the aisle, signifying the fuselage is under tremendous stress and the aircraft is about to break apart. The cargo door is ripped off, extensively damaging the aircraft and ripping the floor of the cabin from the Concord as it spirals toward the ground. The airline founder's seat lodges in the hole, acting as a plug. The pilots attempt to fly to Innsbruck for an emergency landing, but realize they do not have enough fuel. Paul realizes they are flying towards a ski area he used to go to in the Swiss Alps; they could make a gear-up landing on a mountain-side. The aircraft approaches the landing site while the Swiss ski patrol marks a runway. The aircraft lands successfully. Maggie immediately gives a report of the accident to a news reporter and gives details about a major story she is about to release. In his office back in Paris, Kevin hears the newscast and commits suicide by shooting himself. At the crash site, Patroni and the last of the crew leaves the Concord shortly before fuselage caves in and the entire aircraft explodes from the leaking fuel.

In a small Norwegian town, Catherine Stockmann, the wife of Dr. Thomas "Tom" Stockmann, prepares to entertain prominent members of the community, including the People's Daily Messenger newspaper editors, Hovstad and Billing. Tom returns home with his two young sons, Morten and Ejlif, as well as his friend, Captain Forster, who is included among the dinner guests. Before the event begins, Tom's brother, Peter Stockmann, arrives for a routine medical examination. As the town's judge and mayor, Peter also serves as chairman of Kirsten Springs, the community's new tourist destination and the foundation of its economy. Tom, who is the Springs' medical examiner, has recently conducted a study of the water and is awaiting its results; Peter is pleased to learn that Hovstad and Billing will publish Tom's findings before the summer season to promote tourism. Hovstad credits Tom with originating the plan to capitalize on the town's natural resources, but Peter claims that he alone had the wherewithal to establish the business and leaves the house in anger. As guests sit down to dinner, the Stockmann's eldest child, Petra, runs to the table with mail for her father. After reviewing the letter's report in his office, Tom returns to his family and friends with terrible news: Kirsten Springs is polluted with bacteria from a nearby tannery owned by his eccentric father-in-law, Morten Kiil. Before construction began, Tom warned that it was unsafe to build a pipeline so close to a mill that dumps waste into a nearby river, but Peter prioritized cost reduction and expediency. Although the town's water is now contaminated, Tom is convinced that conditions can change for the better with a new waterworks system. Placing the report and his article in an envelope, Tom has his maid, Randine, deliver the findings to Peter. Meanwhile, Hovstad and Billing insist on including the story in the following day's newspaper, even though the official report is in Peter's possession. Later that evening, Tom receives a reply from Peter, but tucks the report away before Catherine can see it. In the morning, her father, Morten Kiil, visits the Stockmann home, skeptical about Tom's findings. Later that day at a tavern, Tom meets Hovstad, who intends to portray the story as a scandal involving the town's corrupt bureaucrats. Just then, the People's Daily Messenger publisher, Mr. Aslaksen, joins the table and promises to galvanize the community with a public demonstration, but Hovstad suspects Peter Stockmann will try to cover up his brother's findings and turn the town against him. Upholding Peter's integrity, Tom gives Hovstad the report in good faith, promising that it is fit for print once he has discussed the data with his brother. Back at the Stockmann home, Peter antagonizes Tom and declares that the decontamination plan will cost 300,000 kroner. Peter appeals for Tom's "discretion" in revealing his findings, but Tom warns that the danger to human life could reach epic proportions if the truth is suppressed. He also reveals that Hovstad and Billing are preparing to print the report. Threatening Tom's career and family, Peter orders his brother to publicly denounce the article and endorse the Kirsten Springs board. Tom later visits the People's Daily Messenger and consents to the publication of his report. When he leaves, publisher Aslaksen suggests a moderate approach toward the article, since it could create a backlash against the newspaper. Shortly thereafter, Peter arrives at the office, claiming he will tax poor and middle-class townspeople to pay for the new waterworks, even though Kirsten Springs is a privately owned corporation. Peter claims that his brother fabricated the report to defy authority, and Aslaksen fears the town's economy will collapse under the new taxation. As Peter procures an alternate "report," the publisher agrees to cover up Tom's findings to save the town from financial ruin. Just then, Tom returns to the office and Peter hides to conceal his arrangement with the newspaper. When Tom sees his brother's walking stick, he realizes his allies have been swayed. He retrieves his report and insists on leading a town meeting the next day. By the time of the gathering, however, the townspeople have already been biased in favor of Peter's false report. The mayor declares that his brother is a threat to democracy, and promises that the springs will bring prosperity to rich and poor members of the community. When Peter argues that his brother should not have the right to read his report, Aslaksen calls for a vote. Realizing the town has turned against him, Tom declines to present his data. Instead, he warns that democracy is not foolproof, since the decisions of the majority can ultimately be wrong. As the crowd responds with rage, Aslaksen reads a motion to proclaim Tom an "Enemy of the People." With the exception of Captain Forster, all citizens agree to deny the doctor's civil rights. Upon returning home in a snowstorm, the Stockmanns are greeted with stones thrown through their windows and an eviction notice. Tom plans to move his family to the U.S. on Forster's ship, but Catherine does not want to leave. Meanwhile, Petra is dismissed from school for being a "radical." Just then, Peter arrives with news that Tom has lost his job, but he can re-establish his career by retracting the report. Tom also learns that his father-in-law, Morten Kiil, has spent the day amassing Kirsten Springs stock for half its original value. Noting that Morten is capitalizing on the repercussions of Tom's report, Peter threatens to punish his brother as a conspirator, but Tom refuses to give in. Sometime later, Morten visits his son-in-law with a fist full of Kirsten Springs bonds. Reminding Tom that the Kiil family has owned the polluting tannery for generations, Morten declares that he used Catherine's inheritance to purchase Kirsten Springs shares. In Morten's blackmail scheme, Tom must accept the bonds to retain his family's wealth. In doing so, however, he will own an enormous stake in Kirsten Springs, and is therefore obligated to recant his report to protect his investment. As Morten leaves, Hovstad and Aslaksen arrive to suggest a new approach to the crisis. Since Morten bought the Kirsten Springs bonds in the Stockmann family name, the People's Daily Messenger can publish articles that convey Tom as a hero, showing townspeople that he purchased the stock to implement his changes. In return, Hovstad requests payment from Tom to cover the newspaper's financial loses. Realizing that the only way to clear his name is to become corrupt, Tom declares that the community is as poisoned as its water. After chasing Hovstad and Aslaksen from his home, Tom announces that the family will stay put and fight for the truth. While the Stockmanns cover their broken windows, a barrage of rocks are hurled through the windows of Tom's office.

In Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Indian wife, and a housewife abandons her husband in order to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe. Lieutenant McAllister is ordered to transport several ammunition wagons to another fort through Apache territory with only a small troop of rookie soldiers to guard them. Along for the ride is ex-scout Jess Remsberg who is trying to track down Ellen Grange, who, having recently been freed from Apache captivity, has mysteriously run off again to rejoin them. Remsberg frees Ellen again and leaves her with the embattled soldiers as he rides off to the fort, not only for help, but to find the man who killed and scalped his Indian wife. —Doug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net>