Tells the story of Isaac Cline, a weather scientist in Galveston, Texas in 1900, discussing his belief and assertion that nothing in the way of weather could destroy the coastal city; and looks at how Cline dealt with the aftermath of the hurricane that hit Galveston on September 8, claiming the lives of thousands of people.

Based on the diaries of Isaac Monroe Cline and on contemporary accounts.

Atlantic Ocean map -- Galveston map -- Beach: September 8, 1900 -- Law of storms -- Serpent's coil -- Spectacle -- Cataclysm -- Strange news -- Haunted -- Notes -- Sources -- Index.