America during the Gilded Age. Incredible wealth, shameful squalor. Half of all Americans, whether on farms or in cities, live in dire poverty. Labor strife. Robber Barons control the nation's economy. Government corruption at all levels. A new middle class seeks reform. This novel tells the story of a magazine, a family, and the men and women associated with both as they seek to restore democracy. Drama, humor, suspense, realism, a sense of time and place. Despite setbacks, optimism prevails.