In 1993, eminent volcanologist, Stanley Williams was standing on the rim of Galeras, a Colombian volcano, when it exploded, incinerating several of his colleagues instantly. Amidst clouds of poison gas and a firestorm of white-hot boulders, Williams managed to survive with the courageous help of two other colleagues.
Despite ever more sensitive measuring and protective equipment, at least one volcanologist dies every year. Yet Williams and his fellow scientist-adventurers are rapidly unveiling the enigmatic and miraculous workings of volcanoes, piecing together a method for predicting their actions and putting themselves in ever greater peril to do so because they know that volcanoes directly threaten the world's largest cities. For Tokyo, Jakarta, and Mexico City and for volcanologists the clock is always ticking.
