All over New Orleans, people are getting ready for Hurricane Katrina. No emergency preparations, however, could adequately protect them from the devastating storm heading their way. Longtime residents Rob and Penny Anderson find themselves abandoned by the elderly transportation program. Their Gentilly home fills with water, the heat rises, and their medication supply dwindles. At Saint Liberatus Hospital, Dr. Ray Reid is appointed head of emergency preparations. As people crowd into the hospital seeking shelter, he and his staff risk their own lives trying to save as many patients as possible. Just like the Andersons, Reid feels abandoned by emergency services. The generators have broken down, patients are dying, and no help is in sight. Outside of New Orleans, Ava Cabot and Remy Devereaux join the rescue efforts with Remy's small boat. They and the Cajun Navy, a volunteer force, begin a series of dangerous rescue missions into the heart of the flooded city. In the aftermath of the storm, the stories of the Andersons, the hospital staff, and Ava and Remy all connect in unexpected ways in this poignant novel honoring the victims and celebrating the heroes of one of the worst natural disasters in American history.