After some sudden and unspecified catastrophe has depopulated England, the countryside reverts to nature, and the few survivors to a quasi-medieval way of life. Fields are becoming overrun by forest, domesticated animals are running wild, roads and towns are becoming overgrown, and the hated London is reverting to lake and poisonous swampland.

Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influence on him and provides the background to all his major works of fiction. Jefferies's corpus of writings includes a diversity of genres and topics, including Bevis, a classic children's book, and After London, an early work of science fiction.