On a warm May night in San Francisco, a glittering, celebrity-studded crowd gathers for a charity event. Just minutes before midnight, the room begins to sway. Glass shatters, the lights go out, and people start to scream...

In the earthquake's aftermath, the lives of four strangers will converge: Sarah Sloane, the beautiful wife of a financial star, watches her perfect world fall to pieces; Melanie Free, award-winning singer, comes to a turning point in her career; 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 does her best work in jeans and trainers, searches through the rubble - and knows instantly that there is much work to be done.

The city staggers back to life, and a chain reaction will touch each of the survivors as they find the amazing grace of new beginnings... For Sarah, it begins with the discovery of a terrible 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.

Throughout these enthralling pages, Danielle Steel creates a stunning array of contrasts – from the dazzle of a society benefit to the chaos of a makeshift hospital, from the pampered lives of rock stars to the quiet heroism of emergency volunteers. It is her most powerful and life-affirming novel to date.