The Dublin 1913 lockout is often viewed as the most severe and significant industrial dispute in Irish history, between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers. Central to the dispute was the workers' right to unionise. The book outlines the poverty and poor living conditions of Dubliners at the time, setting the scene for the lockout.

On August 26 1913, the trams of Dublin stopped. The Great Dublin Lockout began. Over the next four months, James Larkin led the workers of Dublin against William Martin Murphy and the Employers' Federation in a conflict that would change the face of Irish society.