Nick is kidnapped by a man with a grudge against the CSIs. When he awakens, he finds himself trapped in a coffin with a loaded handgun and a message telling him that he better kill himself because he’s going to die anyway. Attached to the coffin is a webcam that tapes Nick’s every move and sends the image back to the CSI lab where his co-workers slowly watch him suffocate.

In a race against the clock, the two CSI teams combine back into one team, and under Grissom, the team works to find Nick. They try to hack into the webcam, but much to their horror, the picture is replaced by a countdown and a message telling them to bring a ransom to a warehouse. Grissom takes the money to the location and comes face to face with Nick’s kidnapper. However, the kidnapper has an explosive plan that may lead to the death of Grissom and of Nick.