In which the industrious and ambitious Mr. Melmotte faces a hotly contested election for Westminster, with his character and fortune the subject of keen public and political scrutiny, whilst his rival Mr. Alf employs sharp rhetoric to sway the voters without revealing his own principles. Amidst the trials of public opinion and private anxieties, Melmotte’s triumph in the poll brings him a bittersweet victory, tempered by looming threats and the resolve to continue his struggle for power.