The owner of the 20th-century Motor Company has died and his children have taken over, with a new plan to operate the company: that everyone work as hard as he can, but that salaries be "based on need". A lab engineer named John Galt (Kristoffer Polaha) objects and announces, "I'll stop the motor of the world."Twelve years later, the economy of the United States spirals downward. Shortages have grounded airlines and returned the railroads to dominance; over-regulation has led to financial disaster. Galt seems to be behind the disappearances of corporate executives and other experts. The latest disappearance is that of Dagny Taggart (Laura Regan), the executive officer of the largest railroad company, Taggart Transcontinental. She had chased Galt in a private plane and crashed hers.Dagny has reached Galt's Gulch, and Galt himself rescues her from the crashed plane. She meets several "disappeared" achievers, such as banker Midas Mulligan (Mark Moses), who say they quit after coming to believe that government was enslaving them. She meets Ragnar Danneskjöld (Eric Allan Kramer) who says he only sink ships that belong to the Govt who has forcefully seized what didn't belong to them. Francisco d'Anconia (Joaquim De Almeida) who now tells Dagny that she knows why he has been doing what he has been doing. She has to pay her own way in the Gulch and gets a job as John's maid servant in his house. John shows Dagny a working model of his motor that provides power to the valley and could power the entire west coast. Prof Akston counsels Dagny that she wouldn't hire James as a worker if she owned Taggart Continental. yet, he and his friends have all the power and they promote the thinking that its OK to take from one person and give it to another.. They count on the work ethic and integrity of those working to propagate their theory. and hence it is necessary to go on strike to tell them that they are wrong. The group at the Gulch decide to give Dagny a week to think about whether she wants to stay or go back.Henry "Hank" Rearden (Rob Morrow) continues to search for Dagny. John wants to be back in the real world but Francisco advises against it saying that the Govt suspects some force behind the disappearances. Midas Mulligan talks about how the entire railroad system is on the verge of collapse and Dagny decides to go back to her job at the railroad.On the outside, government develops a classified new weapon called "Project F" and nationalizes the railroads, including Taggart Transcontinental. The plan is endorsed by Dr. Floyd Ferris (Larry Cedar) (Associate director of the State Science Institute), Wesley Mouch (Louis Herthum) (Head of Bureau of Economic Planning) and the Head of state, Thompson. Ferris gets Dr Robert Stradler to sign off on Project F, who is furious that his research is being used to create an instrument of torture, but has no choice, but to agree. Diverted freight trains stop delivering Minnesota wheat to the east coast and the entire farming ecosystem collapses. Dagny argues furiously to save Minnesota, but James and his friends including Cuffy Megis overrule her objections to cut off Minnesota. James (Greg Germann) vehemently opposes the nationalization of his railroad, but is shut down in light of "public good".. Under the plan all railroads pool their revenues to the Govt, who distribute it according to the "need".. James manages to negotiate a share for Taggart based on miles of track, which is unfair since Taggart has the highest track mileage.The copper wires in the railroad switches don't have replacements and the entire system goes down. Trains stop moving. Dagny comes up with a manual switching system to keep trains moving. she finds John working as a lowly track worker in her own railroad. They have sex that night in the tunnels. Hank Reardan goes missing. Cherryl Taggart (Jen Nikolaisen) realizes that James is a fraud. She apologizes to Dagny and commits suicide.Thompson decides to address the public, but John supersedes his broadcast and tells the public whats wrong with the entire world. He tells the world how he took away the leaders of science and industry away as they would not buy into being ashamed for working for themselves or their own families. Attempt to control their work was an attempt to control their minds. The public grows increasingly frustrated with the central planning, comes to view Galt as the solution, and holds rallies calling for him to reform the government. Thompson (Peter Mackenzie), the Head of State, offers Galt a job in the government (As Mouch's replacement), but Galt rebuffs the offer. Thompson guessed that Dagny knew where John was and had her followed. Predictably, Dagny led the Govt right to John and he is arrested. Later, the government tortures Galt using the power of "Project F". However, others from the Gulch arrive to free him and they escape back to their refuge as the power grid around New York City begins to collapse.