The Soufriere Hills volcano on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat had lain dormant for hundreds of years. Residents were terrified when the volcano started to shake and spit out fire and ash and rocks. They did not want to leave their homes but they were told that the volcano would destroy everything in its path. Jamie's family was torn apart. His parents decided to stay in Montserrat but to send the children, along with their grandmother to live with an aunt on the neighbouring island of Antigua. Jamie was scared of the volcano but he was even more scared of traveling to a strange country without his mother. Just as Jamie was struggling to settle into his new life in Antigua, more trouble developed. Weathermen reported that the most powerful hurricane in recorded history was heading straight for Antigua. It seemed that he had jumped, "from the frying pan into the fire."