San Francisco in 1903. A camera films from a street car on Market St. A young boy runs ahead of the tram. Carriages and cars pass in front of and pass by the street car. The car is travelling towards the Embarcadero. In the next shot people run terrified as buildings fall in the 1906 earthquake. There are huge fires. A panning shot of the devastated city. A camera again travels down Market St. , this time recording the destruction wrought by the quake.