Ten-year-old Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco -- not only does he get to make some money to help his family, he's free to explore the amazing, hilly city as it changes and grows with the new century. Horse-drawn carriages share the streets with shiny new automobiles, new businesses and families move in every day from everywhere, and anything seems possible. But early one spring morning, everything changes. Leo's world is shaken -- literally...

Fatima is having fun camping with her friends, but she is afraid the dark. She has to get through a ruined city at night, avoiding the dangers of crumbling buildings, cracks in the ground and fallen masonry without power or light.