The story begins in an observatory, where an astronomer notices that Mars, older than Earth, has experienced a sudden drop off in sea levels and temperature. Its inhabitants seek a way off of their planet in order to survive these changes, and they achieve this by firing themselves off of Mars in canisters. From Earth, one only sees sudden explosions on the surface of Mars, but this fascinates the scientific community.One canister lands near the narrator's home. It opens and a Martian comes out. It is nearly the size of a bear and greyish with large eyes and tentacles. The Martians dislike Earth's atmosphere and retreat back into the canister. A human delegation, including the astronomer, approaches while waving the white flag of peace. The Martians vaporize the humans with a Heat Ray before continuing to assemble their machinery.The British military arrives, and the entire small town of Woking is stuck in a tense standoff. After receiving heavy fire from the military, the Heat Ray suddenly erupts. The narrator takes his wife to a neighboring town, hoping that she will be safer there. He returns to Woking to return a cart, but a new Martian weapon forces him to crash. The Martians have constructed Tripods-brutal, three-legged robots, manned by Martians. Each has a heat ray and a chemical weapon, known as Black Smoke. These Tripods quickly destroy most of the military and Woking, leaving wreckage in their wake. An artilleryman warns the narrator that another canister has landed nearby, which separates the narrator from his wife. The two try to escape Woking, and they hear that the military has taken down a Tripod by the Thames, a great victory.