Frank Horrigan is a tough, veteran Secret Service agent who has been plagued by feelings of guilt and failure since the death of John F Kennedy. The agent on duty on that fateful day, Horrigan feels that he should have reacted more quickly and taken the bullet for the President.

Thirty years later, the current President of the United States is entering a re-election campaign, and following a number of death threats, Horrigan has been called to assist in what should be a routine research operation. However, when he discovers that a professional assassin and master of disguise (John Malkovich) has been seen tracking the President, the assignment turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse.