The Poseidon Adventure

Four terrorists smuggle two bombs aboard the luxury cruise ship Poseidon, setting the stage for catastrophe. Sea Marshal Mike Rogo is assigned to patrol for suspicious activity as the ship sails from Cape Town toward Sydney. Meanwhile, Richard Clarke's affair with Shoshanna creates tension in his family, foreshadowing personal tragedy.

On New Year's Eve, a bomb tears a hole in the hull while officers on the bridge are shot and killed by rogue waiters. Rogo dismantles the second bomb and shoots one terrorist. Water pours into one side, triggering the ship’s tilt and rapid move toward capsizing.

As the ship tilts, many passengers are killed or injured and the vessel flips, turning the interior into an upside-down nightmare. Ballard sustains a serious arm injury during the chaos. Shelby and a showgirl are trapped on a table now mounted to the ceiling and are eventually rescued.

Shelby's mother joins a small group planning to escape through the hole left by the explosion. The hotel manager urges the ballroom survivors to stay and wait for help, claiming the ship is not sinking. Shelby chooses to stay and help the injured, while her mother and younger brother head toward safety with a promise to leave traces behind.

The Navy realizes that the Poseidon has disappeared and dispatches a rescue team to search the area. Meanwhile, survivors navigate the wreck and hope for rescue as time runs short.

Richard Clarke and Shoshanna make their way to the ballroom through an air vent with the help of other survivors. Shelby confronts Shoshanna about her presence, and Richard decides to follow Rachel and the others along with Ballard, Shelby, and Shoshanna.

Rachel uses a damaged computer to transmit a mayday signal in a bid for outside help. The desperate crew and passengers cling to hope as the ship continues to flood and tilt.

Richard's group decides to leave the ballroom to reach safety, but Shelby urges more people to come along and warn them of the danger. As they depart, a torrent of water rushes into the ballroom, killing those who do not heed Shelby's warnings.

Rogo's group splits up to search for a way out. He takes the terrorist into deeper water to question him while the rest press on toward the rescue route. Later, they converge with Richard's group in the area where the bomb exploded.

With the debris blocking the exits, the survivors force a path through the engine room to detonate the other bomb and blast a way out. The team fights through heat and obstacles to reach a new escape route.

The survivors cross a fallen catwalk over a fiery abyss left by ruptured engines. Shoshanna and the terrorist fall into the flames and die, while the remaining teammates press on toward the new opening.

The team detonates the second bomb and finally opens a hole in the hull. The survivors jump into the water and swim toward nearby rescue boats as Poseidon sinks bow first into the ocean, leaving only a handful of survivors.

The Poseidon sinks bow-first as a British agent laments the death toll. Only nine passengers and crew survive the catastrophe of 3,700 people aboard the ship, underscoring the human cost of the disaster.