In 2014, an attempt to counteract global warming through climate engineering backfires catastrophically, and the Earth has entered a new ice age. The only survivors are on the "Snowpiercer," a massive train traveling on a circumnavigational track. Years later, the train has undergone huge economical stratification where the poor endure brutal conditions and the wealthy bask in opulence, which all comes to a head when a young charismatic leader launches a rebellion on board.