As an asteroid tumbles toward Earth, NASA director Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) hatches a plan to split the fireball in two before it can annihilate the entire planet. To do so, he calls on the world's finest oil driller, Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), who assembles a team he feels can handle the task. With only two days to save humanity, the guys head to space to destroy the rock, while the folks back home pray for their success.