On the 8th of September 1880, an explosion rocked the small town of Seaham Harbour. That explosion led to what has become known in the mining history of the North East of England, as the Seaham pit disaster. Over one hundred and sixty men lost their lives.

Harry Hanson has just returned home to his native North East. He is about to be thrown into the aftermath of the disaster. The miners have gone on strike. An increasingly anxious owner has aggravated the situation bringing blackleg labour into the town.

Harry has been asked to find out what caused the disaster. Who are the ex-soldiers in the town agitating the striking miners, who are they working for and who wants to bring about the ruination of a town and its indigenous industry built and owned by the Londonberry family?

Against a backdrop of intrigue, striking miners, blackleg and rioting, Harry Hanson must fight to save a town, push himself to the limits of human endurance and overwhelming odds and find out the real truth behind the Seham pit disaster.