In this historical novel, Jakes creates characters who interact with real people, like Henry Ford, Barney Oldfield, Kaiser Wilhelm, Pancho Villa, Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennett, D. W. Griffith, and many others.

He also incorporates numerous fictional secondary characters who appear in episodes occurring in Chicago, Detroit, New York, London, California, Mexico, Germany, and Belgium. The main characters have composite traits of famous people who were active in automobile racing, flying, making movies, and filming newsreels between 1900-1920. When Carl flunks out of Princeton because he is bored and yearns for adventure, he angers his father, Joseph Crown, founder of the Crown Brewery, a man whose life has been built on duty and hard work. Carl leaves Chicago and goes to Detroit, where he works for Henry Ford.

He delivers Ford's sturdy, Model-T automobile to eager customers. Its low price makes ownership a possibility for working class people. In...