This book describes the close friendship between a certain Jack Maguire, a politician, finally to become Prime Minister of Britain, and one Natalie Klein, who is a dishonest, thoroughly amoral, promiscuous hearse-driver. She gets up to endless mischief on the bier rack. The two protagonists come from different backgrounds. Maguire hails from the slums of Toxteth and Natalie comes from a wealthy newspaper family in London. Natalie has a perverse fascination for the dead. Maguire, on the other hand, is consumed by ambition and a desire to become Prime Minister. Maguire's motto, "My face shall appear on the banknotes and my profile will be engraved on the coins" says it all. Natalie goes out of her way to help him become Prime Minister, in return for his kindness towards her, but only by devious means, which are an anathema to him. The story reaches a climax when their paths cross and they fall out.
