London Timeline and Summary

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• Mac meets London the first night in the orchard when he steps in to take charge of the birth of London's grandchild.
• London likes Mac for helping out and spends a day out in the orchard working near him. He's receptive to Mac's ideas about organizing the men.
• London promises to bring his own group of men over to the idea of striking for better wages. He also takes Mac and Jim over to meet his friend and fellow work-leader, Dakin.
• London works with Mac to get the strike moving. He's coached by Mac in the fine art of manipulating a vote—and it works. London becomes chairman.
• The superintendent of the orchard appears with two armed guards to "negotiate" with London.
• London tells him why they are striking; the super tells him he's being influenced by "reds" and that he should just get the workers back into the fields. London refuses a bribe.
• London meets with the other leaders, Dakin and Burke. Mac coaches them on what to do next.
• Mac explains to London why Dakin would be a better boss-in-chief for the strike, and London graciously throws his support to Dakin.
• At the train depot, London steps toward the guards to call out to the scabs coming off the freight trains. Unfortunately, the train whistles drown him out.
• London tries to move forward to meet with Joy and the defecting scabs, but the guards raise their guns. The workers, however, are inspired and move with him.
• London carries Joy's body to Dakin's truck and defies the guards to do so. He warns the sheriff to get his men out of the way, or there will be a riot.
• London promises to make a speech at Joy's funeral since Dakin will not. Dakin begins to distrust Mac and Jim and is reluctant to send the men into action.
• But London gets Dakin to send a group of men to picket. Mac concludes that London would be a better boss-in-chief, after all.
• London is voted in to replace Dakin, who has been assaulted by police and vigilantes and arrested.
• London has to write a letter for Dick stating that the Growers were not, in fact, supplying the strikers with any food. Mac writes it (and signs it) for him.
• London doesn't really want to make a speech at Joy's funeral—he's not great at public speaking. Mac tries to coach him. Since he's still worried, Mac promises to second London if he fails.
• London botches the speech at the funeral; Mac steps in.
• London meets with Bolter, the new president of the Growers' Association, and hopes for a raise of the men's wages—but no such luck.
• After Bolter leaves, London asks Mac if he and Jim really are "reds." Mac fesses up, and London is cool with it.
• London, Mac, and Jim run to Anderson's house and find the barn in flames. It's too late to save anything.
• When they return to the camp, Sam tells London that he's itching to set Hunter's house on fire. He'll take all the blame for it, too.
• London is horrified when Mac coldly beats the high-school sniper in order to make an example of him.
• When Jim starts to boss him around, London is surprised, but he's also willing to do what the kid wants. He stays with Jim through the night and observes his tortured sleep.
• London decides that he wants to be a Party man. Mac encourages him.
• London sends out a group of men in cars to break the police barricades. But the "attack" doesn't go well, because the men are dispirited.
• Burke accuses London of "selling out" and living high on the hog while the men starve. London breaks his jaw, which puts some fire back into the workers.
• London's able to lead the fired-up men back to the barricades. This time, they beat the security forces soundly, despite being unarmed.
• London visits Burke and realizes that he's nearly killed him by breaking his jaw.
• After the sheriff appears with an eviction notice, Mac tells London that they will have to stand and fight. London doesn't want the men to do it for no reason.
• London is anxious because the men are having meetings without inviting him. It turns out they are voting to take a general vote about continuing the strike.
• Mac tells London that he'll have to convince the men to fight and taps Jim to help him with that.
• After Jim is shot, London arrives on the scene with a lantern. He is horrified.