In the 2050s, a world ravaged by ecological collapse has splintered into vast, lawless stretches governed by ruthless mutant raiders. Harry Stark [Michael Ironside] is an ex-cop turned bounty hunter who patrols these wastelands with a wary code. One day, he intervenes to save a woman from a gang of mutants, only to have her turn on him with a knife before he knocks her unconscious and drags her back to town for the bounty. The woman is Reno [Vanity], and Stark’s former commanding officer, Captain Raymond [Monte Markham], reminds him that Reno must be delivered to Neon City to collect the payment. Raymond tries to press Stark into riding shotgun on a transport bound for Neon City, but Stark refuses. When Stark’s truck is destroyed in what Raymond calls an act of mutant terrorism, a confrontation erupts and Stark is knocked unconscious, ending up on the same transport as Reno.
Onboard, the makeshift convoy carries a motley crew: Bulk [Lyle Alzado], a former friend and ex-cop Stark once arrested; Tom [Nick Klar], a serial killer who pretends to be a doctor; Dickie Devine [Richard Sanders], a clown with a dangerous edge; Sandy Randall [Valerie Wildman], Stark’s ex-wife; Twink Talaman [Juliet Landau], the sheltered daughter of a Neon City politician; and Wing [Arsenio], an old man who prefers his own company. Before departure, Raymond offers a refund to anyone who wants to stay behind due to escalating mutant activity; all choose to press on. The road bends through a deadly Xander Cloud, and at their first stop they encounter a family suffering from radiation burns. Stark buys an euthanasia kit from Devine and donates it to the grateful family, a gesture Reno finds morally dubious, muttering that they’re no better than those they hunt.
Their first destination is an outpost where they’re meant to meet an escort. Mutant raiders have decimated the place, leaving only Bulk’s sister alive, who is entrusted to Tom’s “care.” Tom, hiding his own darkness, lures Bulk’s sister away and murders her. Reno saves Twink’s life and Stark retrieves her, then Stark proposes they keep going without the escort and gives Reno a vote. She sides with the majority, and they push on. At a roadside restaurant staffed by mutants, Twink is surprised to see the group treating the mutant workers as equals. A violent raid follows, Devine is wounded, and they jettison cargo to lighten the load in order to survive. A brutal “bright”—a sudden, extreme temperature shift—blazes through the route, and Tom takes advantage of the moment to murder Devine.
After burying Devine, the transport rests at a shelter where Tom tries to force himself on Reno; she defends herself and he retreats, claiming she couldn’t handle his rejection. A growing bond forms between Reno and Stark as they share their pasts and fears. Reno reveals she killed her foster parents by accident while fleeing a child prostitution ring, a confession that deepens Stark’s guarded protection of her. They become intimate, and Reno asks Stark to run away with her, but his sense of obligation to the others keeps him from quitting the mission. A turning point arrives when Bulk realizes Wing is actually Dr. Xander, the scientist responsible for much of the ecological damage. Dr. Xander explains his work was an imperfect attempt to solve global problems; if he can reach a proper laboratory, he believes he might reverse the devastation. Bulk agrees not to turn him in, and the group resumes their journey without delay.
A new wave of raiders hits and the group runs dry of ammunition. Dr. Xander quickly improvises a laser weapon that saves them, though not without costs: Sandy is shot, and soon the transport collapses altogether. Xander decides to head for the border on foot, while the remaining survivors trudge toward Neon City. Neon welcomes them with a tense, careful entry led by Twink, who smooths Stark’s rocky relationship with the local police commander, Jenkins [Jesse Bennett]. The harsh truth emerges as Sandy dies of a drug overdose, and Tom’s secret identity is exposed. He seizes Reno, but Stark kills him in a tense standoff. Jenkins confronts Stark, but Reno steadies him, and the pair leave Neon City together. In the end, Stark and Reno carry Dr. Xander toward an uncertain future, binding their fates to the fragile promise of a world that might still be set right.
