Abstract:
At the turn of the century an ambitious Briton, Leo Phillips, who craves success in a system based on inherited privilege, goes to America and makes a fortune. His half-brother, Egbert, an intellectual, remains to promote social reform. The brothers compete throughout the 20th Century for the approval of their father, the respect of their peers, and the love of a beautiful woman. The story unfolds when Leo asks his niece, Peggy to write his memoirs, showing the gradual erosion of the class system, with assistance from disasters like the sinking of the Titanic and the bungling of World War I.