On one side are the mine-owners, men like Sterling Richardson, his weak corrupt brother Rickie, and Luke Proud, a newcomer to the saga. On the other are the Murphy brothers, miners and rabble-rousers, the Llewellyns and Jim O'Connor, the charismatic Irishman newly come to Sweyn's Eye. Between these two warring factions stand their women. Mali Richardson and Mary Sutton, once working class girls, now women of substance. Delmai Richardson, Rickie's treacherous wife, riding deveil-may-care towards her comeuppance, and Charlotte, Luke Proud's sister, born to sympathise with one side in the struggle, but in love with a man who ought to be her enemy. And above all, Katie Murphy, betrayed so often before in love, now caught in a deadly crossfire between her brothers and their masters, the mine-pwners. Black Gold is, more t han anything, Katie's story, for in her dilemma is summed up the tragedy and splendour of this conflict between strong men of political ambition and great dreams.