John Tietjen loves New York City like life itself. But while he's out of town at a conference, confused reports come out of the city. Millions of refugees are streaming out, each bearing contradictory tales of fire, earthquake, explosions, collapse.Making his perilous way back, he gathers a few survivors and establishes a shelter. But the full nature of the catastrophe is still unclear. As he re-homesteads the city he loves, and wonders whether help from outside will ever come, John will come face-to-face with the terrible truth, and with his unique chance to redeem it.