| Director | John Singleton |
|---|---|
| Budget | $40 million |
| Box office | $82.1 million |
Nathan Harper is an 18-year-old high school senior living in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his parents Kevin and Mara. He is troubled by recurring nightmares and has been seeing Dr. Geraldine "Geri" Bennett, a psychiatrist, for treatment.
Nathan is teamed with Karen Murphy for a school research project on missing children. He discovers that he looks very much like an age-progression photo of a missing child, Steven Price. When he investigates his background further, the information he learns suggests that he is not biologically related to his parents. Nathan asks Mara if she is his mother, and she confirms that she is not. Shortly thereafter, two men claiming to be from the Bridgewater Juvenile Justice Department arrive at the Harpers' home. The two men kill Mara and Kevin. Before he dies, Kevin shouts for Nathan to run. Nathan runs, but later returns for Karen, who was captured. Nathan rescues her and is forced to vacate the house because of a bomb.
The bomb blast injures Karen, so Nathan takes her to the hospital and attempts to contact the police. His call is intercepted by CIA operative Frank Burton, who tells Nathan he is in danger and that he will send two men to collect him. Dr. Bennett helps Nathan and Karen to escape. Burton explains that Nathan's biological father, Martin Price, stole an encrypted list of 25 corrupt CIA operatives from the Serbian terrorist and freelance intelligence broker Nikola Kozlow when Nathan was three. Kozlow planned on abducting Nathan to coerce Martin to hand over the list. Nathan was given to his adoptive parents for his own protection. Kozlow used the missing persons website to locate Nathan. Dr. Bennett gives Nathan the address of a safe house in Arlington, Virginia, and tells him to trust only Martin and a man named Paul Rasmus. Burton is warned by his superior to end the situation as soon as possible once he learns of Bennett, who is revealed to be a former CIA operative.
Arriving at the safehouse, the two obtain money, a gun, a photo of Nathan's biological mother Lorna Price, and a cell phone. Karen tries to call her family, but her call is intercepted by Burton and the CIA as well as Kozlow. The two are forced to flee. Finding the address for Nathan's mother, the pair discovers the address is a cemetery and that Lorna has died. Nathan and Karen find fresh flowers at her grave; the sender is Paul Rasmus, who lives in Nebraska. The two take an Amtrak passenger train to Nebraska, using fake IDs provided by their friend Gilly. En route, they confess their feelings for each other and share a kiss. They are unaware that they are being followed by Kozlow's right-hand man, who abducts Karen. He leaves her bound and gagged, but she frees herself. Nathan fights the assailant and throws him out the window. Burton's team finds Kozlow's henchman and tracks them down.
Burton tells Nathan about the data that Martin had stolen. Nathan believes that Burton's name may be on the list. The agents are attacked by Kozlow's snipers. Nathan and Karen flee in a car, but Kozlow calls and threatens to kill Karen's parents if Nathan does not hand over the data. Nathan gets Kozlow to agree to make the transaction at a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game at their home stadium, PNC Park.
Nathan works with Gilly to obtain tickets and secures a gun with the intent to kill Kozlow. When Kozlow arrives, he tells Nathan how he killed his mother when Nathan was three after she refused to give up Martin's location. Kozlow grabs the gun from Nathan and demands the list. Nathan bolts and Kozlow gives chase, followed by CIA operatives. Nathan is called by Martin, who tells him to trust him and run to the south parking lot. Nathan does so and Kozlow is shot and killed by Martin. Burton and his agents arrive, and Burton asks for the cell phone. However, Martin had warned his superior about Burton's corruption. He takes the phone himself while Burton is taken into custody. Martin calls Nathan again, apologizing for not being the father he should have been. Nathan asks him to show himself, but Martin refuses. However, he assures Nathan no one will harm Karen or him, and then he disappears. Bennett arrives with Karen and says she has arranged for Nathan to live with her for the time being. Nathan and Karen go on a date.