In which the great political drama of the day is centred on the possible return of Mr. Melmotte to Parliament, a man whose commercial opulence and audacity stir both admiration and alarm among the Conservative party and society at large. Amidst grand dinners and political manoeuvres, his arrogance culminates in a bold demand to be presented to the Emperor of China, revealing both his overweening pride and the uneasy allegiance of those who surround him.