Washington, again shortly before Christmas: Cop John McClane actually only wants to pick up his wife Holly from the airport. But John's rendezvous doesn't quite work out this time either: a group of renegade elite soldiers have lined up to prevent the extradition of a Central American dictator. In the middle of the Christmas air traffic, they paralyze the flight control of the large airport - the crew of the tower has to watch powerlessly, while the terrorists make their plan come true. When the airport police intervene, they prove their power: they send the 200 passengers of an approaching plane to their deaths in cold blood. They are prepared for anything, have a plan for every step - but they have not included McClane. Because John has a personal reason to intervene. The fuel in Holly's plane is running low. McClane has only 90 minutes to save his wife. Nothing stops him. Not the bureaucratic colleagues of the airport police. Not political considerations. And certainly not an overpowering troop of well-trained mercenaries...