This novel employs Marquand's frequently used technique of flashing back from a crucial-point frame.

Charles, up for promotion at the Stuyvesant Bank, is manipulated by his rival to return to Clyde to evaluate a rope company proposed as collateral for a bank loan. Charles's memories on the eve of his trip, which take him from childhood through his abrupt departure from Clyde in the wake of his father's suicide, form the main part of the novel. Marquand completes the crucial-point frame with Charles's visit to Clyde and his return two days later to attend the boss's dinner party where he is to learn the news about his possible promotion. The novel ends abruptly after Charles gets his promotion: The lack of denouement emphasizes the emptiness of his success.

Marquand introduces ironic commentary on the elaborate and static class structure in Clyde in the form of Malcolm Bryant's stratification...