A series of articles by the New York World newspaper's special correspondent covering the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, its background and subsequent events. It should be noted that some statements in this contemporaneous account have since been shown to be inaccurate. Summary by Delmar H. Dolbier

The book concerns the tangled lives of four people: Zora, a young widow who seeks some purpose in her life; Septimus Dix, an other-wordly but kind-hearted inventor of hopeless things; Clem Sypher, a larger than life businessman who is convinced his quack remedy will save the world; and Emmy, Zora’s younger sister, a rather flighty actress. (Summary by Simon Evers)