The timescale of the story is the period from the Labour party's landslide victory of 1945 until the collapse of the Callaghan government in 1979 and Mrs Thatcher's accession to power. The two leading characters represent the parliamentary and judicial strands of the political consensus that shaped the period, and describes how their pursuit of power has disastrous consequences for their families and the country at large until the forces they have helped unleash finally destroy both men. A sub-plot concerns the mysterious contagion that overtakes a number of trees in a locality central to the story, and parallels the country's social and economic decline as the two men advance their respective careers. In narrative form, this factual account of a changing Britain sets the scene for a fictional tale of political chicanery, foreign intrigue and high finance that also contains elements of satire.