The novel begins with the thirteen-year-old Billy Williams (nicknamed "Billy-with-Jesus") going to his first day of work in the coal mine underneath the fictional Welsh town of Aberowen in 1911.

Throughout the novel, several chapters are devoted to the rise of women's rights in Britain and role of the Labour Party in promoting issues affecting worker safety following a mining accident in Wales.

Through these chapters, Follett displays the considerable differences in social status of the miners and the owners of the mines in quality of life, health, and education.

He describes the conditions experienced by soldiers in the trenches of the Western Front, including encounters with poison gas, unsuccessful charges against artillery, and machine gun posts, as the war persists.

The book delves into the background of Germany at the time, examining the costs of its efforts during World War I and the subsequent economic devastation under the Treaty of Versailles, which later influenced Adolf Hitler's motivations for seeking revenge.