Pretty heavy, right? The city of Eyam isn't seeing just a massive number of deaths; it's also seeing a complete upheaval of its sense of identity. Its history is literally being erased. For better or for worse, the village will never be the same again.

Mompellion seems like a swell dude for most of the novel, but he tends to flip out whenever he catches wind of sexy times. As we'll see, there's a fascinating reason for this.

As the plague worsens, the villagers turn to superstition and witchcraft in a desperate attempt to save themselves. People will believe in any crazy thing when they're hopeless. Regardless, Mompellion is horrified to discover that his flock is turning away from God.