A picnic on a perfect day in the English countryside becomes a sudden moment of crisis as a hot air balloon plunges from the sky. A young boy is in danger and Joe (
Daniel Craig) and three other men race to the rescue. In their attempt, one of the men meets a spectacular and totally unpredictable death. Joe is haunted with guilt for his part in the matter. Another rescuer, intense and obsessive Jed (
Rhys Ifans), fixates on Joe and sets about to systematically destabilize his life, his career and his connection with his longtime girlfriend Claire (
Samantha Morton).