What if we are on the brink of a new Ice Age? This is the question that haunts climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid). Hall’s research indicates that global warming could trigger an abrupt and catastrophic shift in the planet’s climate. The ice cores that he’s drilled in Antarctica show that it happened before, ten-thousand years ago. Now he’s warning officials that it could happen again if they don’t act soon...but his warning comes too late. It all begins when Hall witnesses a piece of ice the size of Rhode Island break off the Antarctic Ice Shelf. Then a series of increasingly severe weather events start to unfold around the globe: hail the size of grapefruit batters Tokyo; record-breaking hurricane winds pound Hawaii; snow falls in New Delhi; and then a devastating series of tornadoes whips through Los Angeles. A phone call from a colleague in Scotland, Professor Rapson (Ian Holm), confirms Jack’s worst fears: these intense weather events are symptoms of a massive global change. Melting polar caps have poured too much fresh water into the oceans and disrupted the currents that stabilize our climate system. Global warming has pushed the planet over the edge and into a new Ice Age...and it all will happen during one global super storm. As full-scale, massive evacuations to the south begin, Jack heads north to New York City to save Sam. Not even Jack is prepared for what is about to happen to him, to his son, and to his planet.