Solar flares, volcanic eruptions, rising seas, and violent earthquakes are all experienced by an ensemble cast that includes actors John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and Woody Harrelson. The billions of people on Earth are ignorant that the planet has an expiry date. World authorities undertake covert preparations for the survival of certain elements of society in response to the warnings of an American scientist (played by actor Chiwetel Ejiofor). When the world collapses, unsuccessful writer Jackson Curtis (played by John Cusack) struggles to guide his family to safety as the world falls apart. It's a race against time to save themselves and the globe before the date when the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world.