It's two days before Christmas. The mall is packed. Outside a storm rages and a section of roof caves in. Emergency crews rush to the scene. In the ruin of the ice cream shop, covered in the fall of debris, are a young widow, a frustrated cop, a displaced great-grandmother, an abandoned child, and a killer with a great deal to lose. Getting out from under a collapsed building may be the goal, but the journey involves facing down grief, pain, threats and fear. There are lessons to learn, and survival is not guaranteed, but hope is hard to crush. The young widow, Amy Jefferson, huddles in the darkness in a small space beside the counter. She has a painful bump on her head, and as long as she can imagine her late husband's comforting presence beside her, she is content to wait for rescue. When a second fall of debris silences the people around her, she realizes she must face her fears and dig herself out in order to help the old woman who encouraged her, the intrepid little boy who couldn't sit still, and the detective who provided her with her only smile on this horrific day. Coming face to face with a killer wasn't part of her plan. Survival is more than just getting out alive.