It's New Year's Eve in the city of Detroit. Cop-killing killer Marion Bishop (Fishburne) has just been arrested and is being transferred to prison. However, the transport bus is forced to stop because of the weather, so they stop for a while at the soon-to-be closed Precinct 13. Among the few people inside Precinct 13 is Sergeant Jake Roenick (Hawke), a cop who hasn't done any field missions in eight months because he feels guilty about the two cops that were killed in the mission. Not long after the prisoners are locked in their cells, Precinct 13 is assaulted by men in white gear. The police try to get a hold of other precincts, but the lines have been cut. The officers inside Precinct 13 believe that the men are Bishop's men coming to get him, but they soon find out that they are rogue cops trying to kill him. In order to survive the night, Precinct 13's inhabitants will have to unite and fight.