The book's opening scene recalls the night Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the presidential election almost to a T, as it reads, "The people were gathered, light-hearted and confident, at the evening meal, when the news burst upon them. It was like a thunder bolt out of an azure sky: 'Altgeld holds Illinois hard and fast in the Democratic line. This elects Bryan President of the United States!... They sat as if paralyzed with a nameless dread, and when they conversed it was with bated breath and throbbing hearts."