The ship is on her first North Atlantic crossing under new ownership, celebrated with a month-long Christmas voyage from Lisbon to African and South American ports.

The ship capsizes as it falls into the void caused by the quake displacing millions of gallons of seawater.

Stuck within the upper deck dining room, preacher Reverend Frank "Buzz" Scott suggests his fellow survivors to move to the keel of the ship, where maybe they will have more chances of being rescued.

The rest climb a Christmas tree with Scott to ascend into the galley area where they meet stewards and kitchen crew.

After climbing two upside-down stairways, the group comes upon "Broadway", a wide service corridor that runs the length of the ship and connects to the engine room.

When the ship's emergency lighting goes out, some crew members panic and stampede; they are trampled, or killed by falling over stairway openings or into a pit where a boiler tore through several decks.

New York Police Detective Mike Rogo finds Tony passed out, intoxicated, and Pamela refuses to leave him.

While searching for Robin, his older sister Susan is raped by Herbert, a young, terrified crew member.

An explosion rocks the ship, and Reverend Scott, enraged, denounces God, offers himself as a sacrifice, and commits suicide.

The book was first adapted into a feature film in 1972 with the story continued by a direct sequel in 1979, both produced by Irwin Allen.