[1] The action is set in the Paris Commune, established in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, and the play follows the historical events surrounding this revolutionary uprising.
The main character is the pacifist teacher Gabrielle Langevin, but historical figures such as Gustave Courbet also appear.
Grieg himself said that he wrote the piece under the strong influence of the Spanish Civil War.
It received very positive reviews and was staged at a number of major venues in the Nordic countries.
[2] In 1966, NRK's Television Theater aired a version of the play directed by Per Bronken, with Monna Tandberg, Roy Bjørnstad, Bab Christensen, and Egil Hjorth-Jenssen in the leading roles.