The book documents the year (1666) in the life of a village in England (Eyam, Derbyshire) as it is under siege by the Bubonic Plague. The central character, Anna, an 18 year old widow and mother of two sons, takes in a boarder to help with her finances. He turns out to be the carrier of the disease that then wracks the entire village. Anna loses her sons and more than half the village is wiped out. The local rector convinces the villagers to close out the village to anyone and live a quarantined life in order to spare neighboring villages and beyond. This plan proves successful, but divides the village, causing neighbors to accuse, kill, and shun others. The books deals with herbal medicine as a means to alleviate or irradiate the disease. Anna herself gets involved with helping others along with the rector's wife.
Brooks is an amazing documentary writer. Her descriptive language is rich and moving. She was a journalist and covered the Middle East for the Wall Street Journal.
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