AllMovie

The greatest battle ever waged between man and nature on American soil is profiled by the very people who lived through it as the filmmakers at National Geographic explore the tragedy of the earthquake that rocked San Francisco on April 18, 1906. With blinding dust clouding the air, crumbled buildings littering the street, and fires raging out of control at each turn -- and with no one to guide citizens but a corrupt mayor and few resources to speak of -- the battle that was waged over the course of the following three days was simultaneously desperate and heroic. Though the official decisions made during that crucial recovery time would prove controversial, only those who lived through the ordeal would truly be able to judge whether a leader whose judgment was in question finally rose to the occasion when his city and people were in need.