In which the spectacle of Mr. Melmotte's dazzling commercial ambitions and popular acclaim at Westminster stirs a fierce tide of political rivalry and newspaper animosity, setting the stage for a contest both grand and fraught with undercurrents of suspicion. Amid the elaborate social manoeuvrings and high-society intrigues, parties marshal their champions and campaigns, whilst whispered doubts and public speeches alike seek to sway the judgment of an awaiting electorate.