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The protagonist of the novel, Mendel Singer, is a devout Jew living in a small town in Eastern Europe. His family makes a living by teaching Hebrew scriptures to Singer. The youngest son Menusim was not only born with epilepsy, but also suffered from dementia and aphasia. After the eldest son joined the army, the second son fled to the United States. The Singhs later immigrated to the United States with their daughter. With the outbreak of World War I, misfortunes ensued. His second son died on the battlefield, Singer's wife died suddenly, and his daughter went crazy and entered a mental hospital. Singer's fate is like that of Job in the Bible, withstanding the test of disaster. When he gave up his fear and belief in God, lived like a zombie and planned to return to his hometown, a miracle happened - his youngest son Menusim suddenly appeared in front of him. He was no longer the dementia with epilepsy, but became an elegant and charming young musician.

This book is one of Roth's few historical novels. He uses magnificent and delicate writing to describe the ups and downs of Napoleon's "Hundred Days Dynasty" and the ups and downs of that era through the two different perspectives of Napoleon the Great and the maid Angelina. In this work, Roth uses poetic language to narrate the joys and sorrows of big figures during the period of social turmoil and transformation, as well as the intersection and collision between the fate of individuals and the current of the times. It can be called the elegy of an era.

Through the ups and downs of a soldier named Tarabas before and after World War I, the novel shows the changing times brought about by World War I, and also allows readers to gain a glimpse of the poor livelihood of the people on the border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time. The novel profoundly shapes the image of Tarabas, describing his life trajectory from a murderous war madman to a beggar willing to give up all authority. It reveals the distortion and destruction of human nature caused by war, and also vividly records the real situation of the Jews in Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.

"Radetzky March" reflects the gradual decline of the Habsburg dynasty through the experiences of four generations of the Trotta family from 1959 to 1916. "Radetzky March" was originally an ode to Radetzky, the Austrian commander who opposed Napoleon around 1813, and to the past of the Habsburg dynasty. The novel is named after this, expressing the author's nostalgia for the past of the empire. It is "an Austrian Requiem" sung by the author. Facing the reality of the 20th century, the author knew that it was impossible to restore the "glory" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.