(The story takes place between August 12th 1898 and January 1st 1899)
Act One
12th August 1898 - The Journalist Herbert Wells gives us a small account on the incoming Martian invasion in the beginning of his newspaper article.
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That evening, the Journalist visits his friend Astronomer William Ogilvy, in his Ottershaw Observatory. Suddenly, several bursts of green gas erupt from the surface of Mars and appear to approach Earth. Ogilvy, convinced that no life could exist on Mars, assures the Journalist there is no danger. But when the Journalist challenges his thoughts and authority, Ogilvy tells him to leave. Later that evening, the Journalist comes home and falls asleep at his desk after complaining about Ogilvy to himself.
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Next morning, eventually something crashes onto Horsell Common near Wells' home in Maybury and in the resulting crater Ogilvy discovers a glowing cylinder in which he thinks men are inside. On his way back he meets his friend Dr. Henderson, an Astronomer Royal and they agree to meet at the common shortly, along with another Astronomer, Dr. Stent. Ogilvy rushes to Wells' house about the fallen cylinder and he has invited the Wells' secretary from the newspaper company, Vera, from the newspaper company to write a story on the phenomenon. Secretly Ogilvy wants to become renowned and a respected astronomer for effort. They leave for the common together. At the common, a large crowd has gathered and are looking at the cylinder. Vera notices that the top the cylinder begins to unscrew. When this lid falls off, a Martian creature emerges. When Ogilvy approaches the cylinder attempting to communicate with the martian, he is incinerated by the Heat-Ray—an advanced Martian weapon. Henderson and Stent are mesmerised and get incinerated too. Wells and Vera flees with the crowd. But when she can’t keep up, she gets incinerated as well. Wells narrowly escapes with his life.
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Next morning, Wells and his wife discuss the killing of the Astronomers at the common over breakfast. Too scared to stay in Maybury, she insists that she go to live with Wells' brother Frank in Leatherhead for a while. Miss Elphinstone, who is landlady of the Spotted Dog which has a horse and dogcart, arrives to pick her up. Wells' despises her for being 'of common class'. She says that her father is missing. It is revealed that he visited the common and is thought to have died the night at the mercy of the martians. Amy leaves for London, giving Wells one last kiss. For the rest of the day, he mopes at his desk, writing an account for the newspaper.
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That night, hammering sounds are heard from the pit. A company of soldiers is deployed at the common, and that evening an injured and exhausted young Artilleryman wanders into Wells' house and tells him his comrades have been killed by fighting machines—tripod vehicles built and controlled by Martians, each armed with its own Heat-Ray. They set off for London—Wells to ensure his wife and brother are safe, the Artilleryman to report to headquarters.
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At Byfleet, they come across an Inn and Wells points out a batch of soldiers in the distance. On the road to Weybridge, they are soon caught in crossfire between the soldiers and Martians and separated. He flees by diving in the river, and he survives the attack but also loses the Artilleryman in the process. He decides to take a boat to Shepperton.
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At Shepperton, he sees the church get obliterated by the heat ray of a fighting machine. In the churchyard he encounters the mad Curate and his 14 year old daughter Clara. The trio run to Sunbury and take refuge in a nearby cottage that is soon surrounded. The Curate, driven mad by his experiences, blames himself for the invasion and believes the invaders are demons arising from human evil. Clara attempts to restore his faith in humanity but with little success. A Martian cylinder crashes into the cottage and she is buried under the rubble, dead. Nathaniel resolves to confront the 'demons', believing that he has been chosen to destroy them with his prayers and holy cross. Wells knocks him unconscious with the blunt end of a meat-cleaver to silence his ravings, but the Martians are already alerted. A mechanical claw explores the cottage and drags the Curate away. Fortunately, Wells does not get detected and camps out in the destroyed house for a week util the Martians have gone.
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Three days later the Wells arrives at his brother Frank’s lab in the capital but finds it empty. A neighbour tells him that Frank, Amy and the Miss Elphinstone left but doesn’t know where they went, Wells contemplates what to do and how he misses his family. London is attacked by the Martians and he resolves to escape by boat and later catches sight of Amy aboard a steamer in the port of Tibury in Essex, but the gangplank is raised before he can join her. Fighting machines then approach, threatening the steamer, but they are engaged by the Royal Navy battleship Thunder Child and two are destroyed. The steamer escapes, but Thunder Child and her crew are melted by heat-rays, leaving England defenceless against the invasion.
Act Two
A few days pass, Wells continues his journey back to London. He again encounters the Artilleryman in the remains of Wimbledon. He is planning a subterranean utopia that would allow humans to evade the Martians and ultimately strike back with reverse-engineered fighting machines.
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Wells, however, realising the Artilleryman's ambitions far exceed his abilities, soon leaves. Upon reaching London he finds it desolate and empty. Driven to suicide by intense despair and loneliness, he surrenders to a fighting machine but realises it is inert, the Martian inside dead, defeated by Earth's bacteria. He then goes completely mad and wonders the streets for a few days on his way back to his home, finally suffering a brief but complete nervous breakdown.
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Eventually, he can return by train to Woking via a patchwork of newly repaired tracks, and sees it is demolished. He goes back to his house to see that is also in ruins. Suddenly a band of people celebrating see him and try to convince him into celebrate with them too. Hearing voices in his head, he goes mad again with sudden rage and tells them to go away. Thinking his wife could be dead and all is lost, he nearly commits suicide again by stabbing himself in the stomach. But before he can, he is stopped by a familiar voice - his wife – she is alive. Amy, Frank and Miss Elphinstone return completely safe and sound.
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On January 1st 1899, Wells expresses his final thoughts on the aftermath of the invasion as he sits in his garden with his now pregnant wife. Finally he finishes writing his newspaper account labelled THE WAR OF THE WORLDS.