Denzel Washington stars as John Q. Archibald, an ordinary man who works at a factory and takes care of his family. But when John Q.'s young son needs an emergency heart transplant - an operation that he can't afford - John Q. will do anything to keep his son alive. As time and options run out, a desperate gamble becomes the only hope for John Q, as he takes an unwitting group of people hostage in the hospital emergency room.