David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a security guard from Philadelphia, is commuting home from work by train when the train he is riding aboard suddenly derails and crashes. In the aftermath of the horribly bloody and fiery crash, Dunn is the sole survivor of 132 people and, improbably, walks away from the crash without a scratch or mark on him. Soon thereafter, Dunn is contacted by Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a rather eccentric owner of a comic book store, who suffers from a rare malady causing his bones to break extremely easily. Price believes that Dunn alone has survived the train crash because he is a superhero, possessing a power that protects him from becoming ill or sick. Dunn is skeptical about Price’s wild theory, but certain events transpire that cause him to wonder if Price's theory could possibly be correct.