Johnny Muller is a twelve-year-old boy in 1918 who grows up quickly in a small mining town in Western Pennsylvania. His father dies suddenly, and his older brother volunteers for service in the Great War. Johnny becomes the man of the house and takes a job with the company store.
After the murder of a local miner, Johnny is exposed to labor unrest, class struggle, and anti-immigrant ideas. As the town braces for a potential clash between miners and armed men sent from a protection agency, a deadly virus invades the small community and unleashes its power with no concern for who its victims are or where they are from. The only constant Johnny can cling to during this madness is his love of baseball and his desire to one day play for a big-league club.