Gerwyn is a little man in all respects, short, quiet, unambitious and a great worrier. All he wants in life is an upgrade in his job that will bring in a little more money for his family. However, he was an unlucky man and was plagued by many occurrences, some trivial others that changed his life dramatically. The novel opens with arrogant Jonathan Pallet quarreling with his flirtatious wife, Lynwen, after the previous nights gathering at the golf club. Jonathan, ambitious and ruthless, was invited to the social evening by his Area Engineer and he wanted desperately to create an impression. However, Lynwen got bored with them talking shop and decided to enjoy herself dancing with a young man, raising eyebrows from The Area Engineer. Jonathan was not a popular engineer and those under his jurisdiction were prey to his bullying. In particular was timid craftsman, Gerwyn, who was singled out by Jonathan as he was easily intimidated. Gerwyn relied on his shop steward to protect him, a man who liked having opportunity to pull Jonathan down to earth. There were others also who hated their boss and showed it openly. At work Jonathans superior was Fred Crabbe, a man who ham-acted and was on everybodys side, but was full of pretense. He wanted a quiet life and demanded his junior engineers assured it As time went on Jonathan accumulated several enemies who hated him and made threats. Could such threats lead to murder, or is it just bravado to save face from those who have been shamed by Jonathans bullying? The story is a mixture of drama, comedy and pathos with tragic consequences.