When a massive storm causes a low-flying Cessna to crash in the woods on his sheep farm, it proves a catalyst for Kent Evans and his little daughter, Rachel. Their lives become inextricably entangled with three other people: Phillip Lemmingham, air traffic controller, Anan Isooba, the Cessna pilot and Mr Smith, owner of Wild Ark Zoo - and drug dealer. The pilot is trapped in the wreckage and one piece of cargo, a crate carrying an illegally imported, heavily pregnant black panther, smashes open. The big cat escapes. Desperate to save his business, Mr Smith is determined to track down and recapture the panther while also recovering the second secret part of the cargo; a consignment of cocaine. Meanwhile the helpless pilot, unable to move, remains an easy meal for a prowling hungry panther.