Michael Mason, a pick-pocket living in Paris steals a bag with a teddy bear in it. Not realizing the toy contains a timed bomb, he tosses it aside on a busy street. A few seconds later it explodes, killing four people. CCTV footage reveals Masons face and the French police tag him as a terrorist threat. The explosion, although botched, was set up by a select group of the French Interior Ministry as a decoy so they can make a half billion dollar digital transfer from a bank, (closed on French National Day) -hence the title Bastille Day. In a separate CIA investigation the unruly agent Sean Briar, discovers the real story behind Masons “terrorist attack”. The two men, on different sides of the law, collaborate to bring the corrupt members of the Ministry down.
游荡巴黎的扒手迈克尔•梅森(麦登饰)一日行窃钱夹成功后，不幸卷入中情局调查的惊天罪案。肖恩•布瑞尔(艾尔巴饰)作为案件负责人果断决定，携手梅森在法国国庆日这一天向恶势力展开反攻。