Sir William — recently named Lord Preston — celebrates his sixtieth birthday at the Danforth summer home in Dover.
Although the ravages of World War I are in the past, new threats loom as a man named Adolph Hitler publishes a book called Mein Kampf. Is he a danger to Europe? And what of Lord Preston’s growing friendship with an up-and-coming political leader named Winston Churchill?
On the home front, one of the Danforth daughters, the recently widowed Catherine, sells her home in Belfast to spend more time at Dover — where she finds herself annoyed at the impertinent German theologian her father has befriended.
The entire Danforth family faces many changes as illness and tragedy strike; young Edward finally makes his move into the political arena while Michael and Libby welcome a new family member.