When a contaminated bolt of cloth introduces the bubonic plague to a remote English village in 1665, the community must decide whether to flee or face certain death through self-imposed quarantine. Anna Firth, an eighteen-year-old housemaid, serves as the narrative lens for this descent into isolation and terror. As the infection claims her neighbors and family, she navigates the shifting power dynamics between the village's charismatic rector and the desperate, fearful populace. The narrative follows her internal development as she confronts the collapse of social order, the rise of religious fanaticism, and the limitations of traditional medicine in the face of an invisible, lethal adversary.

This novel is widely regarded for its meticulous historical research and the visceral, grounded quality of its prose. Readers often highlight the author's ability to balance the grim realities of the plague with the intimate, personal growth of the protagonist. The narrative is frequently praised for its refusal to rely on simplistic moral binaries, instead presenting a nuanced look at how fear influences human behavior. The work stands as a significant contribution to the genre, noted for its atmospheric tension and the clarity of its period-specific world-building.