In the earthquake's aftermath, the lives of four strangers will converge. Sarah Sloane, the beautiful wife of a financial whiz, watches her perfect world fall to pieces. Grammy-winning singer Melanie Free, the event's headliner, comes to a turning point in her life and career. Photographer Everett Carson, a former war correspondent whose personal demons have demoted him to covering society parties, finds new purpose amid the carnage and Sister Maggie Kent, a nun who normally works in jeans and high-tops with the homeless, searches through the rubble - and knows instantly that there is much work to be done.

As the city staggers back to life, a chain reaction of extraordinary events will touch each of the survivors. For Sarah, it begins with the discovery of a crime and a betrayal, then a strength she never knew she had. For Melanie, volunteering at a refugee camp will open new worlds of possibility. And Everett will be shaken by the unlikely relationship he forges with Maggie, who helps him rebuild his shattered life - and upends her own in the process.

But as a year passes, and the anniversary of the earthquake approaches, more surprises are in store - as each discovers the unexpected gifts in a tragedy's wake and the amazing grace of new beginnings.