Some of the characters struggle to sustain their personal integrity. One disastrously manages life by allowing fantasy to prevail. Another makes a living by means of innuendo and slander. Some by nature are evasive and self-deceiving, while one individual is honest through and through and knows no other way.
The book offers snapshot views of Washington life (for example, a White House reception, the celebration of the transatlantic flight of Lindbergh) and takes the reader to a hearing of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee.