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Charles Stanley is young, adventurous, and looking to strike out from running his father's affairs in order to make a name for himself and ascend to the political world that his family has approached but never cracked. With Canada's sovereign nation status freshly formed, he is offered a position as an assistant to a liaison to a British official and Canada's first prime minister. But Charles proves to be a bit too cautious for the political world. The way that he delays his engagement, looking for a better opportunity, portends to his struggles with a transcontinental railroad plan that is bogged down by campaign promises and dirty money he hesitates to employ or decry. Will he make a move before it's too late, or will he end up trapped with his indecision and forced to deal with consequences outside of his choosing?
Drawing from nineteenth-century history and filled in with dramatic fictional details, this is a classic story about corruption and the real-life powers that get major sweeping changes accomplished. The socialite Rhoda and the farm girl Amy offer a romantic triangle for Charles that adds an emotional bent to a story that is otherwise meetings, briefings, and backroom deals. Through this, readers learn much of Charles's character as well as that of the company he keeps. The varied backgrounds of the different major players in this story illustrate the difference in thinking between those born into high society and those who have had to climb their way into it. Historically fascinating and emotionally compelling, this story is an excellent morality play that leaves the reader yearning for more dramatic conflict and hard decisions.