Henry Evans, a 19-year-old coal miner working at the Hunter Valley Rothbury Colliery marries a local girl, 18-year-old Wynnie Spencer in September 1928 and takes a loan to purchase a small miner's cottage located in the village of Rothbury only one block from Wynnie's parents and directly across the road from the Rothbury colliery gates. On the 14th of February 1929, the Northern New South Wales coal mines are given 14 days' notice to accept new working conditions by the colliery owners. The Mineworker's Federation rejects the colliery owner's ultimatum, which culminates in the colliery gates being shut and the miners thrown out of work. The events that follow throw Henry and Wynnie's lives into turmoil, coming to a head when, on the 16th of December 1929, an incident takes place that is described as the worst industrial event in Australian history. The consequences have catastrophic ramifications for Henry, Wynnie and their extended family members.