Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a book about a group of young boys - consisting of the "bigguns" and the "littluns" - that are stranded on an island when their escape plane crashes. The story takes place during World War II, and they're leaving because of the threat of nuclear war. Ralph first meets Piggy, the logical one of the group, and they find a conch in a lagoon on the island. Then, when Ralph blows the conch, all the boys come to him, and he's chosen as the leader. The boys try to keep an orderly and democratic "government," but without the right guidance, they are led into a more primitive, and savage, living by Jack.