When the earthquake hits Tucson, the ground only shakes for 30 seconds. For Melanie, a hard-to-know and harder-to-like champion swimmer and Jared, a laid-back buddy-to-all, that half-minute is long enough to break apart their school, their town, and their families.

In the aftermath of the disaster, racial tension leads to violence, and the national media are there to broadcast the collapse. Melanie and Jared become unlikely media darlings as they standup against ugly hate and create their own spin.