The Trollsvotin volcano in Iceland violently erupts and kills a USGS survey team. Volcanologist professor Dr. Peter Shepherd takes four of his graduate students to study Grímsvötn, a dormant volcano.
The explosive eruption of the Icelandic Trollsvotin volcano is fatal for a USGS survey team. Following this tragedy, volcanologist Dr. Peter Shepherd assembles a team of four graduate students to investigate Grímsvötn, an inactive volcano with similar characteristics.