The subtitle is "the story of Sabinsport", and the town is the major character. It is a small, Midwestern town in the USA, in 1914. About a dozen characters people its story. It shows how the coming of the Great War effected each character, and the town itself. Ida Tarbell, the author, is considered our nation's first investigative journalist. Here she turns to fiction to convey some of her ideas of social change. Summary by Bob Rollins.