Sammy Murphy is the firstborn child in Sulfur Creek, an isolated coal mining town located on a rich seam of Bituminous coal discovered by a young gentleman born of wealth in the late 19th Century, the golden age of America’s Industrial Revolution. The historical novel follows the life of Sammy from birth to death, capturing his transformation and struggles as a reclusive character, juxtaposed with his boss, who personifies the era's industrial barons. Barry Bacon, who grew up in luxury on Fifth Avenue in New York, is an ambitious American industrialist who fancies himself a peer to iron and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Driven by unbridled ambition, Bacon’s dreams stretch far beyond the soot-covered rooftops of Sulfur Creek. His tale of arrogance and flawed leadership chronicles the precipitous rise and fall that mirrors the volatile spirit of the industrial age.