Left Behind

Chloe Steele flies home from college to surprise her father, Rayford, at his birthday party. She learns at the airport that he cannot attend due to a last-minute flight assignment. The exchange hints at a strained marriage and unspoken tensions between Rayford and his wife, Irene.

Rayford apologizes for missing the party and explains he was ordered to pilot a last-minute flight to London. He insists there is nothing wrong at home, even as Chloe suspects trouble after seeing his flirty behavior and noticing his missing wedding ring. The conversation plants seeds of doubt about the family’s future.

Chloe is handed tickets for a London concert that Rayford had arranged, confirming the trip was planned in advance. The discovery deepens Chloe's distrust and foreshadows the larger unraveling to come. The tickets become a tangible sign of Rayford's secret plans.

Chloe hugs her brother at the mall, and he vanishes into thin air, leaving his clothes behind. Others vanish as well, triggering panic and rumors of the end times. A driverless car crashes through storefront windows and a plane crashes into the parking lot, escalating the chaos.

On Rayford's flight, several passengers vanish, including his co-pilot, Kimmy, and all the children aboard. The remaining passengers panic as radio contact with ground control becomes impossible. Rayford does his best to reassure them and gather any information he can obtain.

A pilot-less jet veers into their flight path, damaging Rayford's fuel line. With fuel running low, he decides to turn back toward New York and hope for a safe landing. The crew and passengers brace for impact as the world below begins to burn with chaos.

Chloe hears Rayford's mayday and assumes his plane has crashed nearby. Meanwhile, Irene disappears from home, leaving behind her jewelry as a sign to Chloe and Rayford that something extraordinary has happened. The family is suddenly faced with a global vanishing event.

Chloe goes to her mother's church, where Pastor Bruce Barnes explains that believers have been taken to heaven and the rest face the end times. He admits he was not taken because he didn't truly believe. The encounter provides a theological frame for the catastrophe.

Rayford discovers evidence of Irene's religious beliefs in the personal effects of his crew and shares the news with flight attendant Hattie Durham. Hattie is upset to learn he was married, but he urges her to be brave and to help calm the passengers until they can land. The in-flight tense atmosphere grows more personal as relationships become part of the crisis.

Buck Williams contacts Chloe from the cockpit, offering support as the situation spirals around them. The distant human connection amid chaos gives Chloe a lifeline and anchors her to hope. The call underscores the widening gap between those who vanish and those left behind.

While standing on a bridge, Chloe contemplates ending her life. Buck's message continues to offer perspective and reminds her that others rely on her. The moment marks a turning point as she steadies herself to act rather than surrender to despair.

Chloe discovers an abandoned truck and uses it to clear away construction equipment blocking a road, creating a makeshift runway. She uses a compass app to guide Rayford to the landing site. The improvised runway becomes their last, best hope for a controlled landing.

Rayford glides the plane down the improvised runway, saving the passengers from fuel exhaustion. They step off the plane to a world aflame, underscoring the scale of the catastrophe around them. Buck remains in the cockpit, surveying the apocalyptic landscape.

As survivors gather, Buck notes the apocalyptic world outside, while Chloe insists this is only the beginning. The film closes on a fragile note of hope and resilience amid unprecedented loss. The characters brace for what comes next in a world transformed.