The novel is divided into three parts, each comprising several long chapters. The novel begins with a half-page prologue setting the scene: A man relates these stories to a girl (Patrick and Hana, respectively, as will become apparent late in the novel) as they drive through the early morning darkness toward Marmora, Ontario. Looming in this historical landscape are the violence and dehumanization wrought by industrial advancement, the injustice of economic inequality, the trials of immigration, and the discomforts of forging an identity out of the complex factors of ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, and language. The story and its characters are firmly rooted in this tumultuous period of Canadian industrial history, as Patrick assumes various industrial jobs and crosses paths with immigrant workers, socialist activists, capitalist tycoons, and thieves.
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