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A museum in Vienna, Austria is assaulted by three armed Arabs, who steal an ancient spear from a glass display case.
Ex-athlete Zack Peterson, now a tv newscaster in Baltimore, and Greg Dobbins, his ambulance-chasing news cameraman are in court, along with Police Chief Gary Babcock. Shortly after Babcock leaves the courtroom, a gun battle erupts. Three defendants from a group of revolutionaries are rescued in a daring and bloody escape!
Peterson pursues the revolutionaries on a wild chase through the streets, eventually stowing away in their private plane, which flies all of them out of Baltimore.
The aircraft lands at an abandoned army complex in the desert. Peterson is discovered, but instead of being treated as an enemy, he is invited to document the struggles of a megalomaniac Arab ruler, calling himself “Klingsor”, after a mythical villain of King Arthur’s days.
Peterson learns the stolen spear was used at Christ’s Crucifixion and has mystical powers, which Klingsor has managed to harness. He has kidnapped government officials and cabinet members, using the spear to brainwash, or “initiate” them as his followers. He plans a mass assassination on July 4th, with one of his initiates taking over as president. Klingsor orders Peterson to undergo initiation, and the newsman uses out-of-body travel in an attempt to avoid it.
The private plane transports Klingsor and several followers back to Baltimore. Peterson accompanies him and is seemingly initiated.
However, just as the plane flies low over the Baltimore harbor, Peterson jumps out of the plane and into the river. The aircraft touches down at a deserted factory, and Klingsor’s henchmen pursue Peterson. Just as he seems cornered, Peterson purposely gets himself arrested by the Baltimore police and is carried away to safety.
Leonard Silver, Peterson’s news director, gets Peterson released. Cameraman Dobbins unexpectedly shows up, and Silver and two policemen force both him and Peterson into a police van. Silver reveals he too is an initiate and will act as a human bomb to blow up the president in a ceremony at nearby Fort McHenry on that day, the 4th of July!
Peterson and Dobbins manage to escape from the policemen and find Babcock at the Baltimore harbor, near Fort McHenry. The three men reach the fort, as Silver is about to make a presentation to the president. Peterson throws Silver into an empty guardhouse, and the bomb explodes, killing only Silver.
That afternoon, police and military assault Klingsor’s men at the deserted factory. The aircraft is blown up, and all the occupants, including Klingsor are presumed dead.
The desert military complex is attacked the next morning by American soldiers, who destroy it and capture the remaining Klingsor followers.
Days later, Peterson delivers a newscast from Baltimore, using the factory as a remote location. As the crew leaves, Klingsor emerges, having lived in a hand-dug bunker since the assault. Klingsor has waited for vengeance against Peterson. His plans change when police come onto the scene, and he is forced to flee. A furious pursuit and battle follow.
After a hair-rising chase, involving a stolen police car and a runaway trolley car, the climax occurs in a meat processing plant. Peterson and Klingsor square off. Peterson gains possession of the ancient spear, hurls it at Klingsor, and kills the Arab madman in prophetic fashion.
Final scenes reveal Peterson in his apartment, having set up a shrine in a closet. Entranced by the power of the spear!
ALTERNATE ENDING… Peterson destroying his notes to the story of the century, claiming that information about the spear is too dangerous to reveal to the public. And the spear is anonymously returned to the Vienna museum from where it was stolen.
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