A lieutenant (known in the book only as "The Lieutenant") becomes dictator of
England after a world war. The Lieutenant leads a ragtag army fighting for survival in a Europe ravaged by 30 years of
atomic,
biological and
conventional warfare. As a result of the most recent war, a form of biological warfare called
soldier’s sickness has ravaged England, and the U.S. was devastated by nuclear war. At the start of the novel, a
quarantine placed on England due to the soldier's sickness prevents The Lieutenant from returning to England from his encampment in
France. The Lieutenant commands the Fourth Brigade, which is composed of one hundred and sixty-eight soldiers from multiple nations, leading them throughout France in search of food, supplies, arms and ammunition. Soon, Captain Malcolm informs The Lieutenant that all field officers are being recalled to General Headquarters (GHQ) with their brigades to report to General Victor, the commanding officer at GHQ. Upon the brigade's arrival at GHQ, The Lieutenant is informed by General Victor and his
adjutant Colonel Smythe that he is to be reassigned and will be stripped of his command. He is confined to his quarters and is told his entire brigade will be broken apart and assimilated into another brigade. Meanwhile, in the
barracks at G.H.Q., the Fourth Brigade learns of crucial news through back channels: the existence of a vaccine for the soldier's sickness, and General Victor's plans for their brigade. The men decide to rebel, and break through the defenses of the barracks, free The Lieutenant and kill Captain Malcolm. The Fourth Brigade successfully escapes G.H.Q. in France and begins to make their way to London, along with other soldiers who are dissatisfied with General Victor's command. A battle ensues between General Victor's men and The Lieutenant's troops. The Lieutenant and his expanded Fourth Brigade eventually successfully take control of London and subsequently all of England and
Wales. The Lieutenant's government runs smoothly for years, until the
battleship USS
New York arrives from the U.S. carrying two
United States Senators and Captain Johnson, captain of the
New York and commander of the U.S. fleet. Under threat from the U.S. battleship, The Lieutenant negotiates terms to transfer power to the Senators' associates – General Victor and Colonel Smythe. If anything happens to General Victor and Colonel Smythe, the country would
be controlled by its officer corps, chaired by the Lieutenant's confidant, Swinburne. In addition, The Lieutenant requests that immigration of Americans to England be kept to no more than 100,000 per month, and demands that a favorable price be set for the purchase of land from their English owners. After these terms are established, The Lieutenant opens fire on General Victor and his men and a battle ensues. General Victor, Colonel Smythe, The Lieutenant, and several of The Lieutenant's men are killed. Years later The Lieutenant's men still control England, and a flag flies honoring his memory. A memorial plaque at Byward Gate on
Tower Hill reads: "When that command remains, no matter what happens to its officer, he has not failed." ==Reception==