Three different teenagers end up in the same town, on the day that a earthquake hits. This earthquake just happens to be the largest one ever recorded in American history. The book goes on to tell the story of each of the three teenagers during the earthquake. They all have their own difficult problems to go through as they try to make it away from the earthquake alive. The book shows their entire struggle for survival and their willpower. They all realize the same thing in the end...that you have to make each day matter.