Tuesday, April 17, 1906

It is early evening in San Francisco. Streetlights come on. People hurry home. No one knows about the danger below. Underneath their feet, the earth begins to stir.

Wednesday, April 18, 1906, 5:12 A.M.,
Sacramento Street

Early the next morning, Henry Travis hears a low rumbling. It sounds like a train coming. . . . Windows rattle. Doors thump. . . . There is a crash above him.

Wednesday, April 18, 1906, 5:12 A.M., Chinatown

Across town, Henry's friend Chin waits for the trembling to stop. But it goes on and on. . . . "The tenement is falling!" Chin's father shouts. Walls crack and crumble. Windows shatter. Broken glass sprays like little daggers.

The Earth Dragon has awakened . . . with a vengeance.

When the quake subsides, Chin and Henry and their families are lucky to be alive. But now they must escape the fires that have broken out and find their way to safety.