Capitol police officer John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) as a member of the Secret Service. Not wanting to disappoint his young daughter with the bad news, Cale takes her on a tour of the White House. While he and his daughter are there, a heavily armed paramilitary group attacks and seizes control. As the nation's government dissolves in chaos, only Cale can save his daughter, the president and the country.