In post-Sept. 11 Los Angeles, tensions erupt when the lives of a Brentwood housewife, her district attorney husband, a Persian shopkeeper, two cops, a pair of carjackers and a Korean couple converge during a 36-hour period.

The USS Neptune, a nuclear submarine, is sunk off the coast of Connecticut after a collision with a Norwegian cargo ship. The navy must attempt a potentially dangerous rescue in the hope of saving the lives of the crew.

Detectives use clues from various recording devices to piece together events surrounding a massacre involving bus passengers at an abandoned gas station.

Hot jewels from London make their way to New York, where they are stolen by racketeer Ed Dexter, who hides them with the help of his vivacious girlfriend, Vivian Palmer. Federal agent Ross McBride goes undercover to infiltrate the gang and, suspecting Vivian can lead him to the jewels, comes to her aid when she is chased by a rival gang. The two flee to the Midwest with both gangs in pursuit, but Vivian is not as gullible as Ross thinks.

Wastrel son of a railroad magnate, Jack's father becomes frustrated with his son's wild ways. To prove himself, Jack goes to work in the railroad yard as a laborer. An escaped convict, Silent Bill Brachley, steals Jack's car, and the chase leads to a meeting between Jack, the engineer of the Midnight Express, and the engineer's pretty daughter, Mary. As he is led back to jail, Brachley swears revenge.

A cynical young man, Giorgos, who believes that in this life you need to steer clear of principles and attachments, clashes with his father, captain Manolis and abandons the management of the family’s shipyard. Determined to build his life again, he gets a job as a waiter in a large hotel and believes that he can also get rich by taking advantage of the sorrows and the loneliness of the wealthy.

After a traumatic collision with a rogue asteroid, a pilot is marooned on his ship in the deep black of space. He must use everything in his power to repair his ship and find a way home.