Set in the Free State town of Welkom, South Africa in the 1980s at the height of the apartheid regime, World Without End chronicles the lives of mine workers during a time of intense change, both personal and political. Jed Rawlings, working in the personnel department of the mine, and newly married to Henrietta, becomes embroiled in developments following the announcement that mining staff have joined the national union. Unwillingly thrown into the role of chief negotiator, Jed witnesses at first hand the effects of union activity on a conservative and right-wing mining community. Adding to complications, he falls in love with Lizella, the mine manager's secretary. As events develop, Jed witnesses the effects of the apartheid system on his Black colleagues, with sometimes devastating consequences.
