David Shelby, Rock Hudson, a prosperous owner of a newly established ski resort tucked beneath a snow-laden mountain, invites his ex-wife Caroline Brace, Mia Farrow, to attend the grand opening. The celebration promises a ski tournament and a figure skating competition, setting the stage for a weekend of sport and spectacle.
Among the guests are Florence Shelby, Jeanette Nolan, the spirited mother who keeps a keen eye on the proceedings; Bruce Scott, Rick Moses, a world-renowned ski champion; and two rival figure skaters who add rivalry to the ice. Also present is Leo the Coach, Antony Carbone.
Caroline, a magazine reporter, ended her marriage with David because of his controlling nature. Despite the divorce, David hopes to rekindle their relationship, and he proclaims a grand ambition to be the King of the Mountain by opening the resort in a zone long deemed uninhabitable due to frequent avalanches.
Henry McDade, the timid bookkeeper Steve Franken, explains to Florence the hurdles David faced—negotiating with land developers and investing his own money into the project. While guiding Florence around the grounds, McDade meets Nick Thorne, Robert Forster, an environmental photographer who warns that the mountain could be unsafe because of the heavy snowfall, warnings that are dismissed.
Caroline is drawn to Nick, which provokes David and exposes his controlling streak. Bureaucratic delays force David to bring in a business partner despite the snow. A lavish opening-night party erupts with dancing and revelry, and after a confrontation about his controlling behavior, Caroline and Nick slip away to Nick’s cabin.
As the night deepens, snowfall thickens and the morning light reveals the danger looming over the mountain. Nick leaves Caroline in the cabin to help mitigate an avalanche using a snow gun. Tragedy strikes when the plane carrying David’s business partner crashes into the mountain in low visibility, triggering a deadly avalanche.
Snow swallows the ski ramp and the skating rink, and the resort is left in ruin. David becomes trapped at the skating area but manages to free himself. He reaches the dining room to find McDade and Florence trapped under a collapsed staircase; a gas leak erupts into an explosion, and communication breaks down. A film crew from the fire department documents the disaster as rescuers arrive.
Bruce Scott is found alive but in critical condition after the avalanche. In the chaos, a ski ramp collapse leaves a boy named Jason and Mark Elliott, Barry Primus, a television host, dangling from a precarious wreck.
Caroline witnesses the avalanche from the safety of the cabin and hurries back to the resort, where she reunites with David. Using dynamite and tireless digging, they manage to rescue McDade and Florence, the latter nearly dead from hypothermia, whom Caroline revives with mouth-to-mouth and then escorts to the hospital.
Bruce is discovered by a rescue team and remains in critical condition. In the chaos, a rescue team helps to save Jason and Mark on the ski ramp. Despite instructions to fall onto a safety trampoline, an electrical shock defeats Mark.
As a separate ambulance arrives, David and Nick transport body bags to a truck. The bridge to the hospital is deemed unsafe because of snow, leading Nick and David to intercept Caroline and Florence. The ambulance slips on ice and plunges into a gorge under the bridge, taking the life of the driver and Florence.
Moments later, David and Nick rescue Caroline from the edge of the collapsed bridge. Caroline parts from David at the ruined resort, sharing a final moment with Nick before they part on good terms, with Nick thanking her for being there.
Caroline has a final private moment with David. He confesses that the disaster was his fault, and she replies that she loves him. She leaves him to confront the aftermath of his shattered dream.
