Summary

The story begins in September 1859, in San Fransisco. Joshua Norton is a businessman who loses his entire fortune on a bad rice investment. Despair summons her brother Dream to challenge him. Dream is another name for the Sandman. Just as Norton considers slitting his wrists with a razor, Despair calls on her brother to offer him a challenge. Dream's challenge is to keep Norton from entering the realms of Despair and his other siblings before their sister Death comes to retrieve him.

Dream sprinkles the dust that makes Norton sleep. He enters Norton's sleep and asks if he has a dream. Norton says he dreams of a day when he is still respected. Dream gives Norton a dream.

The next page shows Norton rushing to draft a proclamation. He drops it off at the newspaper office, proclaiming himself emperor of...