Eighty people are horrified to wake in a strange institutional setting, with the only common factors between them the knowledge that prior to their abductions they witnessed a sudden flash of white light, and that they were all on a certain block in Los Angeles. Each of the eighty hears his or her own voice in their heads, stating that they are all participants in a race which only one can survive. Rules: all must participate, all must stay on the paths and off the grass, and anyone who is lapped twice will die. Many die almost instantly; others are killed or forced to their deaths by other racers. As the numbers thin, counting off inside their heads, the survivors become more and more desperate to stay alive.