Plot

On their way home from Brooklyn psychiatrist Vic, daughter Julie and sister Stacey run short of gas. They leave they highway to search a petrol station - but end up erring around in South Bronx. A youth gang under the sadistic Ice stops their car and starts menacing them. When Julie drives away in panic, she damages one of their bikes. Ice feels provoked and decides to hunt them down... without fuel the 3 women soon have to flee by foot and defend their life with all means possible. Only the youngest gang member T.J. tries to help them.—Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>

After Thanksgiving dinner at her mother Mary Ella's house in Brooklyn, Victoria Stone sets off for home with her daughter Julie and sister Stacy. Low on gas, they search for a station. When Julie pulls into one that appears open, Stacy recognizes the area as the dangerous Gravesend neighborhood in the South Bronx and begs her to keep driving. But it's too late-the station is closed, its lights left on only to deter crime.

Suddenly, a gang led by the sadistic Ice swarms their vehicle, rocking it violently. Julie manages to restart the car and escapes by reversing into one of the gang's bikes. Furious, Ice orders a pursuit despite objections from Satisfy, a gang member who questions the escalating violence.

After getting lost and running out of gas for good, the women attempt to call for help. Victoria reaches a phone booth and contacts an operator before narrowly escaping being run over by Ice. The operator traces the call and alerts the police. Victoria, Julie, and Stacy take refuge in an abandoned building.

As they explore, Julie discovers a corpse in a fridge and screams-alerting Ice's brother Cat and the gang's newest member, TJ. The women flee to the roof and escape to the next building via a makeshift wooden bridge. When Cat tries to follow, he miscalculates and falls to his death. TJ, clinging to the ledge, is helped up by the women after promising to aid them. However, fearing Ice's wrath, he betrays them and flees.

Meanwhile, Officers Fugazi and Washington investigate the destroyed phone booth and find a burning car registered to Victoria's husband, Andrew. Suspicious, they begin to piece together the situation, but are later killed by Ice and his gang.

The women seek a working payphone in the subway but are ambushed by the gang. Stacy and gang member Tattoo are killed by an oncoming train during a brutal fight, leaving Victoria and Julie devastated. At the precinct, Andrew learns his family may be in danger and pleads for help.

Back in the gang, tension rises. Satisfy challenges Ice's obsession with vengeance, prompting Ice to murder him, solidifying that death is the only exit from his crew. Witnessing this, TJ decides to break free.

Victoria and Julie resurface from the subway and kill another gang member, Skinhead, with a car engine block. They later take refuge in an abandoned restaurant, where TJ finds them and offers his help in exchange for assistance relocating his struggling family.

Victoria spots flashing lights and rushes outside, hoping for rescue-only to be met by Ice disguised as a cop. TJ pulls her to safety and engages in a shootout with Ice, forcing him to retreat. Ice, now fully unhinged, prepares his gang for a final assault.

The gang storms the restaurant. The trio defends themselves with a fire hose and a series of deadly booby traps, eliminating the attackers one by one. The chaos culminates in an explosion that incinerates the building. Just when it seems over, Ice emerges, gun in hand. He shoots TJ, but before he can finish the job, Victoria kills him in a final standoff.

As dawn breaks, Andrew and the police arrive at the scene. Reunited at last, Victoria and Julie ride with the wounded TJ in an ambulance, the night's nightmare finally over.