Lewis Crane lived through the devastating Los Angeles earthquake of 1994. He survived, but his family didn't - and at seven years old, his life was ripped apart. Now he's thirty-seven, an expert seismologist with a fierce hatred for earthquakes. He's developed a unique theory of quake prediction, determined to protect people from the fate of his parents. But in a world run by Chinese-held corporations and an America split along racial and religious lines, there are those who don't want him to succeed.

To prove his theories conclusively - he needs to predict an "unpredictable" quake.

Then he finds one along the Reelfoot Rift, a massive rolling and shaking that promises to register over 8.5 on the Richter scale. All Crane's equipment and his scientific team - geologist Dan Newcombe, beautiful, brilliant imager Lanie King, engineer Burt Hill, and the mysterious Sumi Chan - say a big one is coming. Memphis, Indianapolis, and Nashville will be swallowed up, Chicago devastated. Suddenly the nation is divided between those who believe Crane and those who call him mad.

The outcome will be something no one expects, and it will cost Crane everything: his reputation, his best friend, and the woman he loves. But Crane knows that an even bigger "big one" is coming - an incredible Richter 10. Lewis Crane knows where. He knows when. He even knows how to stop it. And if it strikes, America and the world will never be the same. But will anyone believe him?