The Judgment Day tells the harrowing story of Nihat, a veteran who fought for his country and returned to Istanbul wounded from Gallipoli, only to find himself pushed to the brink of suicide by profound disillusionment. Peyami Safa presents a realistic atmosphere depicting the moral collapse, poverty, and spiritual crises triggered by World War I on both individual and societal levels. From the very first pages, the novel reveals the evils that an idealist must confront merely to survive in a shattered world.

Upon his return to Istanbul with a shoulder injury, Nihat encounters a city that has lost its moral compass. He comes to believe that Turkey has transformed into a "judgment day" gathering place, where the innocent, the noble, and the virtuous are forced to live shoulder-to-shoulder with thieves, war profiteers, the faithless, traitors, and murderers. This powerful narrative serves as a stinging critique of the corruption that infested the post-war society.