Conscientious objectors during the First World War are forced to either join the army or face death by firing squad. We follow Philip, one such case as he receives a particularly brutal treatment and is forcibly removed to France.
Coal miners' pay is reduced while at the same time they are told to work longer hours, which results in a massive strike. Their differing approaches drives a wedge between Phillip, his wife Sarah, and her brother Ben.
One of Philips's comrades, Ben now deserts from the army and hides out in a small town where the miners and their families are fighting for their livelihood. It is not long before the army are back in Ben's life again, together with the police.