table of contents : chapter 1 : preston strong and martie roebels chapter 2 : buck mckinnon chapter 3 : jiangsu province , china chapter 4 : sally powers chapter 5 : jiangsu province , china 1980s chapter 6 : the smart family chapter 7 : the beginning of the lead up to midnight chapter 8 : carlos rodriquez chapter 9 : preparations for the new years eve fly-in chapter 10 : jiangsu province , china 2010 chapter 11 : christmas in north carolina chapter 12 : salt lake city december chapter 13 : jiangsu province , china december chapter 14 : the fly-in over christmas and new years eve chapter 15 : jiangsu province , china lunch , new years day chapter 16 : midnight , eastern time the end of modern civilization chapter 17 : z-day 1 dawn chapter 18 : z-day 1 chapter 1 preston strong and martie roebels it was nearly dark outside as the small yellow crop duster aimed its nose for a final approach onto the dark , asphalt-covered airfield stretching out in front of it .