In 1997, crime has become so severe that the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum-security prison. Surrounded by massive walls and heavily guarded, prisoners are dumped inside with no guards patrolling the streets and are left to form their own violent society. When Air Force One crashes inside the prison, former Special Forces soldier and convicted criminal Snake Plissken is sent in to rescue the President before time runs out.

Originally published in 1981 and long out of print, Mike McQuay's novelization expands the world from John Carpenter and Nick Castle's original screenplay, with added scenes and the same grit that made Snake Plissken a legend.