Ramona can hardly believe her eyes! She stares at Theo and a sense of dread starts to well upp inside her. What began as an eagerly-awaited school trip to Italy has now turned into a nightmare. The class has just visited the museum in Pompeii, the ruined Roman city that was buried beneath volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly two thousand years ago. Ramona is feeling queasy from looking at the casts of people who died in the eruption that destroyed the city. Suddenly, a strange sensation comes over her and she sits down to rest. Within minutes, she falls into a deep sleep. When she wakes up, she finds that everything is different. Pompeii is no longer in ruins. The city is bustling with life and Ramona realises that this is Pompeii before the eruption! She also knows that Vesuvius will soon undergo a terrifying transformation. Glowing lava and choking hot ash will come raining don and bury the entire city and its inhabitants. Will she and Theo be able to get away in time?