How does "Circle of Days" by Ken Follett end? Have you finished reading "Circle of Days" and desperately need to discuss it? Or maybe you've read it, but can't remember how "Circle of Days" ends, or do you want to skip ahead to discover all the spoilers? Need a refresher on "Circle of Days" before heading off to book club tonight? Keep reading to discuss this historical fiction novel and all the twists and turns at the end!
They begin building Stonehenge
The group is delayed getting the first rock back to the monument, because the path is destroyed. Narod and his gang of farmer friends destroyed the path to please Troon. Troon and his friends are upset because the farmers have started their own midsummer feast, and the attraction that will be Stonehenge will surely take away from people attending the farmers' midsummer gathering.
The first stone is placed
Joia sends a runner to tell her mom that they are all well and that they will be back in town early the next morning. When they finally arrive, hundreds of people cheer for them. They then tip the stone out of the sled into the pre-dug hole.
Joia announces that instead of stretching the project out to collect one stone each midsummer, a better use of time would be to attempt to work in teams together to bring nine stones in several days. They will need to build more sleds and recruit more volunteers. During the announcement, Joia notices Shen, the sidekick of Troon, who will report all of this back to the farmers.
The farmers are predictably displeased, very few people came to their midsummer feast, and they are worried that they will be seen as "people of no accord". Troon says that they need to have a better plan to disrupt the herders building the monument.
Dee and Joia
Dee and Joia go their separate ways but kiss, vowing to meet back up the following year at the Midsummer festival.
Joia continues to gain notoriety as more people come to trade and visit the stone that they have moved. Troon's sidekicks notice and continue to report back.
Troon prepares for a fight
Troon announces to his people that he does not think the farming community is well prepared to "defend" itself. While the farmers do not know who would want to attack them or why, Troon insists that every man equip himself with a bow and at least six arrows. Troon also says that no one from their group is allowed to go to the Midsummer Rite.
Duff tells Pia he plans to go anyway because he had taken part in Joia's mission last year and is determined to help again. Several other farmer men agree with Duff and want to go as well.
Katch warns Pia about the Midsummer feast
Troon's wife, Katch, comes to speak with Pia, asking for an animal trade. Katch reveals that she is really there to warn Pia to not let Duff go against Troon's wishes. When asked why, Katch says, "because you have already had one man killed". Fearing for his life, Pia tells Duff what she has been told by Katch. Duff wants to warn Joia, and Pia volunteers to go at night. Pia is immediately caught by farmer guards and is forced to return home.
Troon locks up Pia and her family
Troon finds out that Pia tried to leave town and correctly suspects that she has been let in on his plans to attack the Midsummer festival. He decides to imprison Pia and her family in their house until the Midsummer festival is over so that she can not ruin his plans.
A towns person alerts Ani to Pia's situation
Biddy tried to visit Pia to get some cheese, but was met by guards who told her that Pia would be staying in her house until after the Midsummer festival. Biddy runs to Ani to tell her the situation. Together, they tell Joia. Ani attempts to visit the farmers as well. Ani sees the men of the town preparing bows, and she tries to shout so that Pia can hear in the house. Ani is struck with a club but returns to town to tell everyone what she has seen.
The herders prepare for a fight as well
The herders are prepared because Scagga has a storage of bows and arrows in case they are needed. The leaders decide to begin target practice in case it is needed.
Midsummer festival has arrived
It is finally time for the festival, but Joia is overwhelmed by the responsibility to retrieve the stones, as well as the looming threat of the farmers coming to fight them. Joia tries to reconnect with Dee, but it is tense. Dee is frustrated by a perceived lack of interest from Pia and distances herself as well. Ultimately, they do reconnect. Joia consults with Jara, and they suspect they will be attacked in the North Hills because of the landscape.
Pia's family breaks out of their home
Pia and her family have been trapped in their home. When they notice that no one is guarding them, they break through the branches used to trap them. Pia and Duff realize that everyone is gone because it is finally the Midsummer festival.
The trail is destroyed, and two dead bodies are found
As the volunteers and Joia get further down the path towards the stones, they find a child who appears to be missing, calling for her mom. Joia recognizes the child and then sees two dead bodies, Dab and Revo. It is their daughter who is crying for help. Also, the trail has been destroyed, clearly the work of Troon and other farmers. The workers begin repairing the track. Jara and Joia agree to set up a line of guards to communicate with each other and warn about approaching farmers looking to attack.
The farmers arrive to shoot the herders with arrows
Seft is back at the stone pit with volunteers to start moving another large stone. While he is high up at night, he notices that people are moving towards their camp - it is the farmers. The alarm system of guards works, and Joia is awakened as people are alerted to the arrival of farmers. They begin firing arrows at each other. Ultimately, the farmers retreat after taking many casualties.
Joia feels responsible for the loss
Because the building of Stonehenge was Joia's idea, she feels responsible for the fighting that happened. Joia speaks to the volunteers, explaining that several stones still need to be brought, and that there is danger that the farmers may return to try and attack them again. While some leave, many volunteers decide it is worth the risk.
The farmers attack again
After getting the last stone, the herders are stopped by a crowd of farmers that are crossing their track. Joia does not want to fight and potentially lose more lives of volunteers. Instead, she asks Zad, a herder, if he would be able to create a stampede from the cattle that are near them. Zad says yes, and then organizes the herders to move the cattle through the crowd of farmers. Most of the farmers are killed in the stampede. Troon is hit by the stampede, and Joia sees him injured on the ground. Troon asks for help and water, to which Joia kills him, avenging her brother, Han's, death. Despite the setbacks, the stones make it back to the monument that will be Stonehenge.
Dee says that she is leaving Joia
Joia makes plans to return to the stone quarry to get cross bars to go against the pillars for future Midsummer festivals. Dee lets Joia know that she does not want to spend her life following Joia, and Joia realizes that she does not want to give up her life to become a shepherd like Dee. Dee promises to come back for the next festival.
Pia's family works hard on their farm
While working on the farm, Pia and Duff find out that most of the farming men were killed in the stampede. A week later, Shen returns from the fight and tries to take over as the new Troon - the "Big Man" of the farming community. Shen finds out that Pia and Duff have been organizing and planning the community while he was gone. Shen states that women can not give orders. Duff calls a meeting to convince everyone to not follow Shen.
Shen rapes a farmer woman and is rejected by the town
As if everyone didn't already have enough reasons to dislike Shen, a young boy visits Pia and Duff after being attacked while protecting his mother from being raped by Shen. A meeting is held, and while some farmers think that Shen's help as a man is needed, most vote for him to not be in charge of the farming community. Duff is voted as being the "Big Man".
Stonehenge continues to take shape
A year has passed, Seft admires the stones placed in a circle, noting that each is the same height with a curved top. The plan is to create sockets in the crossbars that will fit onto the curved rock tops. Seft creates a template from hide that he can use to create the crossbar sockets. Seft's brothers, Olf and Cam, come to visit him. They are both obviously injured and dirty. The brothers claim that they were attacked by farmers, but Seft is doubtful, as most of them died a year ago in the stampede. His brothers say that they are hungry and need help, and Seft shows them where to get food, but does not want them to enter his home. Seft also helps his brothers get shoes. Seft's wife, Neen, is frustrated that he is helping his brothers, but Seft insists that his brothers should help move the stones with him for the crossbars.
Dee and Joia reconnect
Joia has decided to tell Dee that she will resign from priestesshood and join Dee as a shepherd. However, when Dee sees Joia, she tells Joia that she has decided to become a priestess instead. They decide to stay and work as priestesses together and continue the work on Stonehenge.
Olf and Cam rob Seft and Neen
Despite offering them a helping hand and a job of helping at the monument, Olf and Cam decide to return to Seft's home to rob him. Seft agrees with Neen to never allow his brothers to contact him again.
The book ends with a time jump forward 15 years
Stonehenge is now complete, and travelers come from around the region and across seas in amazement at what they have built. Duff is still in charge of the farmers. The farmers and herders now work together to make sure each other's needs are met. Lim, whose parents were attacked and killed by Troon, is now a grown priestess as well.
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