A seemingly perfect day turns catastrophic when California's infamous San Andreas fault sets off a disastrous, magnitude 9 earthquake, the largest in recorded history. As the Earth cracks open and buildings start to collapse, Ray Gaines (Dwayne Johnson), an LAFD search-and-rescue helicopter pilot, must navigate the destruction from Los Angeles to San Francisco to bring his estranged wife (Carla Gugino) and their only daughter (Alexandra Daddario) to safety.