Pirates capture a Danish cargo ship and take the crew hostage. The ship's cook Mikkel Hartmann is supposed to establish contact with the management for them. Gruelling negotiations begin and soon shipowner Peter C. Ludvigsen is torn between the emotionally charged responsibility for his men and the tactical instructions of the British negotiation specialist Connor. Suspenseful and oppressively realistic, "Hijacking" depicts the nerve-racking uncertainty of the negotiations and the pressure and fear that weigh on both the hostages and the negotiators.