spoiler in an effort to become energy independent the u government contract a major drilling company to come up with a plan to drill and and pump out and the massive oil reserve in the pristine and untouched and by human hand and wilderness in the northern alaska permafrost . the drilling team head by man in charge ed pollack and ron perlman and expect to finish it job before the spring thaw set in but thing do not go exactly a they expect . with team member and environmentalist james hoffman and james legros and check out the weather pattern in the area he soon realize that something strange be go on with the february temperature in the arctic region rise to unprecedented level . hoffman great fear be soon realize when the permafrost and that be frozen solid for ten of thousand of year and start to suddenly and unexpectedly thaw out . that release gas that start to effect not only the earth atmosphere but those on the team who and unlike hoffman and be unaware of it existence . stuck because of the melt and thaw out ice and soft earth polleck be unable to get the heavy equipment ship to him for drill the oil . what also happen be that member of his drilling team start to freak and go insane a their effect by the noxious gas that seep out of the ground . the first man on the team to lose it be maxwell mckinder and zach gilfrod and who be send out by pollack to check out the oil drilling site . what maxwell saw and or think he saw and at the drilling site be enough to drive him insane . know that the end be come and leave a video tape of his experience at the site maxwell strip down to his birthday suite and walk out into the frozen night where he end up die of exposure . a the member of the drill start to go insane and die off it become evident even to the gong ho pollack that there something very disturb go on and it have to do with the very sudden temperature change and due to the melting snow and ice and in the frozen arctic . it then that pollack and and what leave of his crew and try to make his way back to anchorage and or civilization and before he and everyone else with him end up dead . spoiler what pollack and co and with the exception of james hoffman and do not quite realize and be soon to find out be that there no place safe in alaska anymore for them to travel to . the earth have be abuse long enough in it be exploit by man and his unquenchable thirst in tap it natural resource without any regard to the damage that he cause it . it in the and by the u and canada and non stop drilling in the pristine northern arctic wilderness that the tip point be reach in where the earth decide to finally make a stand and strike back . and it will strike back a we see in the final scene of the movie with a fury and in a massive global warming and that hasn not be see since the dawn of recorded history .