The narrative, spanning the 1850s to the 1870s, begins in Philadelphia in 1860, where Lew Crandall, often called “The Golden Prince,” has a promising future and is married to Elizabeth Butterfield. His life is shattered after he unwisely exposes a powerful politician using incriminating evidence found in his deceased father’s letters.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Lew leaves for Washington, where he again encounters the unscrupulous figures he had previously angered, leading to his downfall. The story then evolves into a sprawling saga of “murder, rape, revenge, betrayal” as Lew loses his family, fortune, and freedom, surviving solely for the purpose of exacting revenge against the man responsible for orchestrating his ruin. The book is noted for incorporating the events of the Civil War and how national events influenced the characters’ lives.