The book opens in 1898, just as the Spanish-American War comes to an end. The main characters are situated at an American “summer” embassy in rural England. Here are the characters that were introduced so far: Caroline Sanford, daughter of Colonel Cameron and granddaughter of Charles Schuyler, seems to be the main character of the book. Elizabeth Cameron, who is the niece of both General Sherman and President McKinley’s former Secretary of State, is married to Senator Don Cameron and acts as a mentor to Caroline. Adelbert “Del” Hay, son of John Hay, who is the current American ambassador to St. James, is also introduced and seems to be a friend of Caroline. Caroline’s half brother, Blaise Sanford, works for publisher William Randolph Hearst, who owns the newspaper, the Journal. Henry Adams, great grandson of President John Adams, is introduced later on as an old man in his sixties. The Spanish-American War is altercated by everyone at the embassy. Caroline believes that the Spanish did not capsize the ship, the Maine, and believes that Blaise and Hearst actuated the war to happen by writing calumniations about the ship’s destruction in the newspaper. Blaise, himself, even tells Caroline that Roosevelt was the one who sunk the ship. Besides Caroline, everyone else is quite contended at the American victory, and later there is a colloquy about America’s newfound power at Henry Adam’s house. Adams believes that with America’s victory in the Spanish American War, Spain is no