After a series of small tremors in Los Angeles, Dr. Clare Winslow, a local seismologist, pinpoints the exact location and time of when the long awaited earthquake--"The Big One"--will strike southern California. With this information, she must battle city officials to release this information to the general public. Also, she hopes that her family is out of harms way when the quake strikes. Subplots show how other families and people cope with the the tremors that strike before the impending "Big One."

Summary written by John R. Price {[email protected]}

When the USGS begins detecting a series of small earthquakes around the Los Angeles area, one geologist, Dr. Claire Winslow (Kerns) alerts her bosses to the possibility of a major earthquake that will flatten Los Angeles. But political concerns get in the way and her concerns are largely ignored, until more serious changes signal a major quake from a lesser-known fault line that runs directly under the city itself. When the horrific quake strikes, it will cause severe property damage as far south as San Diego, and as far north as 120 miles. It will cost billions to repair, and as many as 20,000 people may perish...

Summary written by medic249a2