The episode takes place on Global Airlines Flight 33, en route from London to New York City. About 50 minutes from Idlewild (now Kennedy) Airport, Captain Farver and his crew notice that the ground speed of their Boeing 707 is rapidly increasing beyond all reason. Their true air speed remains constant, so there is no risk of the plane breaking up. They can no longer contact anyone by radio. Even one of the passengers seems to sense the increase in speed.