diff --git a/core/includes/bootstrap.inc b/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
index b358269..d0326a3 100644
--- a/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
+++ b/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ use Symfony\Component\ClassLoader\UniversalClassLoader;
 use Symfony\Component\ClassLoader\ApcUniversalClassLoader;
 use Drupal\Core\DependencyInjection\ContainerBuilder;
 use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request;
+use Drupal\Core\Config\DrupalConfig;
+use Drupal\Core\Config\NullStorage;
 
 /**
  * @file
@@ -671,8 +673,12 @@ function drupal_settings_initialize() {
 
   // Make conf_path() available as local variable in settings.php.
   $conf_path = conf_path();
-  if (file_exists(DRUPAL_ROOT . '/' . $conf_path . '/settings.php')) {
-    include_once DRUPAL_ROOT . '/' . $conf_path . '/settings.php';
+  if (file_exists($file = DRUPAL_ROOT . '/' . $conf_path . '/settings.php')) {
+    include_once $file;
+  }
+  // If running as a SimpleTest child site, load additional per-test settings.
+  if (($test_prefix = drupal_valid_test_ua()) && file_exists($file = DRUPAL_ROOT . '/' . $conf_path . '/files/simpletest/' . substr($test_prefix, 10) . '/settings.php')) {
+    include_once $file;
   }
   $is_https = isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTPS']) == 'on';
 
@@ -1270,7 +1276,7 @@ function drupal_page_header() {
  * response is sent.
  */
 function drupal_serve_page_from_cache(stdClass $cache) {
-  $config = config('system.performance');
+  $config = variable_get('page_cache_without_database') ? new DrupalConfig(new NullStorage('system.performance')) : config('system.performance');
 
   // Negotiate whether to use compression.
   $page_compression = $config->get('page_compression') && extension_loaded('zlib');
@@ -2304,14 +2310,14 @@ function _drupal_bootstrap_page_cache() {
       drupal_set_title($cache->data['title'], PASS_THROUGH);
       date_default_timezone_set(drupal_get_user_timezone());
       // If the skipping of the bootstrap hooks is not enforced, call
-      // hook_boot.
-      if (variable_get('page_cache_invoke_hooks', TRUE)) {
+      // hook_boot. Hooks cannot be invoked without database access.
+      if (!variable_get('page_cache_without_database') && variable_get('page_cache_invoke_hooks', TRUE)) {
         bootstrap_invoke_all('boot');
       }
       drupal_serve_page_from_cache($cache);
       // If the skipping of the bootstrap hooks is not enforced, call
-      // hook_exit.
-      if (variable_get('page_cache_invoke_hooks', TRUE)) {
+      // hook_exit. Hooks cannot be invoked without database access.
+      if (!variable_get('page_cache_without_database') && variable_get('page_cache_invoke_hooks', TRUE)) {
         bootstrap_invoke_all('exit');
       }
       // We are done.
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/NullStorage.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/NullStorage.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e0af28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/NullStorage.php
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Drupal\Core\Config;
+
+use Drupal\Core\Config\StorageBase;
+use Exception;
+
+/**
+ * Represents a stub configuration storage object.
+ *
+ * The stub implementation is needed when database access is not yet available.
+ * This results in no base configuration returned, but DrupalConfig::get() can
+ * still return configuration defined in the settings.php $conf variable.
+ */
+class NullStorage extends StorageBase {
+
+  /**
+   * Implements StorageInterface::read().
+   */
+  public function read() {
+    return array();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements StorageInterface::writeToActive().
+   */
+  public function writeToActive($data) {
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements StorageInterface::encode().
+   */
+  public static function encode($data) {
+    return serialize($data);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements StorageInterface::decode().
+   */
+  public static function decode($raw) {
+    return unserialize($raw);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements StorageInterface::getNamesWithPrefix().
+   */
+  public static function getNamesWithPrefix($prefix = '') {
+    return array();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Bootstrap/PageCacheTest.php b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Bootstrap/PageCacheTest.php
index 6355d54..8bcb4c6 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Bootstrap/PageCacheTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Bootstrap/PageCacheTest.php
@@ -112,6 +112,20 @@ class PageCacheTest extends WebTestBase {
   }
 
   /**
+   * Test ability for settings.php to specify a non-database backend for the page cache.
+   */
+  function testPageCacheWithoutDatabase() {
+    $settings = '<?' . 'php' . "\n\n";
+    $settings .= '$conf[\'page_cache_without_database\'] = TRUE;' . "\n";
+    $settings .= '$conf[\'cache_backends\'][] = \'core/modules/system/tests/modules/bootstrap_test/lib/Drupal/bootstrap_test/Cache/TestBackend.php\';' . "\n";
+    $settings .= '$conf[\'cache_classes\'][\'cache\'] = \'Drupal\Core\Cache\DatabaseBackend\';' . "\n";
+    $settings .= '$conf[\'cache_classes\'][\'page\'] = \'Drupal\bootstrap_test\Cache\TestBackend\';' . "\n";
+    file_put_contents($this->public_files_directory . '/settings.php', $settings);
+    $this->drupalGet('');
+    $this->assertText('Page returned by Drupal\bootstrap_test\Cache\TestBackend');
+  }
+
+  /**
    * Test page compression.
    *
    * The test should pass even if zlib.output_compression is enabled in php.ini,
diff --git a/core/modules/system/tests/modules/bootstrap_test/lib/Drupal/bootstrap_test/Cache/TestBackend.php b/core/modules/system/tests/modules/bootstrap_test/lib/Drupal/bootstrap_test/Cache/TestBackend.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8812398
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/system/tests/modules/bootstrap_test/lib/Drupal/bootstrap_test/Cache/TestBackend.php
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Definition of Drupal\bootstrap_test\Cache\TestBackend.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\bootstrap_test\Cache;
+use Drupal\Core\Cache\NullBackend;
+
+/**
+ * Stub cache implementation for PageCacheTest::testPageCacheWithoutDatabase().
+ */
+class TestBackend extends NullBackend {
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Core\Cache\CacheBackendInterface::get().
+   */
+  function get($cid) {
+    return (object) array(
+      'created' => time(),
+      'data' => array(
+        'path' => 'node',
+        'title' => 'Foo',
+        'headers' => array(),
+        'body' => 'Page returned by Drupal\bootstrap_test\Cache\TestBackend',
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+
+}