NYPD cop John McClane goes on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly in Los Angeles, where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation.
While they are at the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party, a group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John, while they plan to perform a lucrative heist.
Unable to escape and with no immediate police response, John is forced to take matters into his own hands.