Deliveryman “Mad” Max Grabelski [Daniel Stern] is tasked with delivering packages to the enigmatic millionaire Reinhart Bragdon [Anthony Heald], accepting only about $50 in tips for these late-night runs. During one such delivery, Max stumbles into a blaze at Bragdon’s mansion and finds himself cornered by FBI Agent Palmer [Jon Polito]. In a chaotic scramble, Max grabs Palmer’s gun and slips away, narrowly escaping the pursuit.
A news report soon follows, with Palmer claiming that Bragdon was killed in the fire—a death that was, in fact, staged by Max to derail a money-laundering scheme Bragdon is involved in. With law enforcement closing in, Max goes on the run and learns that a final package is headed to Bragdon at his secluded mountain cabin on Devil’s Peak.
On his way, Max encounters Jack Erickson [Brad Sullivan], a store clerk and scoutmaster who recognizes him. In a tense moment, Max uses his gun to threaten Erickson and forces him to drive away, slipping into Erickson’s van to throw the police off the scent. The ruse works, and Max is mistaken for the scoutmaster who would be leading a cadre of Ranger Scouts on an expedition. The group, consisting of five boys and one girl, becomes the unwitting audience to Max’s unorthodox leadership as they head toward Devil’s Peak.
The FBI catch up and release Erickson, who then teams with Palmer to pursue Max and the scouts. Narrowly avoiding capture, Max makes a dramatic escape by creating a dangerous bridge situation between two cliffs, forcing Palmer and Erickson to reroute. Curiosity grows among the scouts about Max’s true identity and his unconventional skills as a leader. They construct a makeshift radio and piece together clues about who he really is, all while they secretly signal their location to Erickson with smoothed communication methods and smoke signals.
Max is sedated by the scouts’ plan, but Palmer seizes the moment to handcuff Erickson to a tree and seize Max alone, promising the scouts a rescue helicopter. Yet the scouts’ suspicion remains, and they trail the action in secret. When a helicopter finally appears, Max discovers Bragdon is still alive and reveals Bragdon’s criminal plan: Palmer is actually Bragdon’s henchman posing as an FBI agent, and their scheme is to lift laundered money while Bragdon pretends to have died.
Before the criminals can finish Max off, the scouts spring into action and subdue Palmer. Max tumbles into the river, and the youngsters dive after him to rescue him and divert the villains. They reach safety just as they plunge over a waterfall, tossing their backpacks into the river to knock Palmer and Bragdon off course. With limited supplies, the troupe decides to stick with Max and continue toward Devil’s Peak, embracing him as their leader.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Patterson [Ann Dowd], one of the scouts’ mothers, uncovers Max’s discarded tissue and pieces together that he’s guiding the kids toward Devil’s Peak. She races ahead in her van, only to be captured by Bragdon when Palmer’s bumbling assistant, Agent McMurrey, won’t help her.
After a treacherous climb, Max and the scouts finally reach the cabin where Bragdon awaits the final package. Palmer closes in, but Erickson frees himself and joins the showdown, subduing Palmer behind a tree as payback for the earlier restraint. Bragdon appears, dragging Max and Mrs. Patterson to the cliff’s edge at gunpoint. Gordy Patterson [Blake Bashoff], one of the scouts, lunges to defend Bragdon but tumbles over the edge, clinging to a branch as danger looms.
In a decisive move, Max knocks Bragdon unconscious by forcing his dentures out and then climbs down to pull Gordy to safety just as the branch gives way. With Bragdon and Palmer captured, Max’s name is cleared, and he is rewarded with a Ranger Scout Leader honor and the chance to lead an even larger group of scouts on a more demanding mission—much to his initial surprise and reluctant pride.
