On the first chase, Sean, Josh and the rest of the team follow a cell that doesn't produce, missing the first tornado of the season that hits Tulia, Texas, and destroys the town. A week later weather signs rouse them early one day and they chase for hours but find nothing. Near twilight they find a storm and race to it, but last-minute adjustments cause the TIV to miss interception. Sean is ready to call it a day when Josh spots another storm near their location. It's too dark to shoot IMAX footage but the TIV team conducts a successful intercept and the scientists are thrilled with the data. But the season has only just begun.

After a week spent drifting around Kansas waiting for a calm spell to end, Josh, Sean and the rest of the crew are on the hunt again. They chase a huge mesocyclone across the heart of the Texas Panhandle and into the Canadian River Valley, a wilderness area completely devoid of paved roads, making the storm virtually impossible to intercept. Against Josh's orders, Sean races the TIV down a dirt road toward the point of interception, but ultimately panics and orders a retreat from the valley that threatens to trap him and his crew in the middle of the massive storm. Within a few days the team hits pay dirt when Josh manages to place SCOUT and TIV in the center of three tornados.

Five weeks into their storm-chasing season, filmmaker Sean Casey and meteorologist Josh Wurman are under theballoon to intercept a tornado. Despite all of Josh's state-of-the-art technology, their efforts are failing. Conflict between Josh and Sean reaches new heights. When Josh ignores Sean's hunches, the team ends up missing a historic tornado disaster, the EF5 that levels the town of Greensburg, Kan. The day after the storm, the team visits Greensburg and is confronted with the destruction that tornadoes can cause. The danger of what they are doing hits home, but they are undeterred.

It's nearing the end of the tornado season. Although the team has had successful intercepts providing Josh with record-breaking data, Sean and his TIV team have yet to get their money shot. Sean's frustrations grow stronger as they spend multiple days chasing ghosts and driving for miles on end. To make matters worse the TIV breaks down and the team is forced to take a day off from chasing. With Sean losing hope, the team prepares for their last day of the season and sets off in pursuit of an intercept. After two fruitless attempts, Josh reports a tornado warning for Nickerson, Kan. The team rushes to the spot and Josh sets the TIV off after a promising intercept.