Set in the 17th century, the play follows Mother Courage as she pulls her wagon through Europe's religious wars.  Anna Fierling, aka Mother Courage, is an itinerant trader who sells anything a soldier might need- boots, liquor, shirts, and rags. She has no loyalty to any army, and her only hope is that the war will continue so she can stay in business.  Ultimately, each of the play's characters, even the unseen monarchs who wage war from offstage, stands to make money through conflict.