On April 14th 1912, Burnham is enjoying the opulence of the White Star Line’s HMS Olympic, though he also suffers with gout. He and his family narrowly missed making their passage across the Atlantic on the ill-fated Titanic. He reflects nostalgically on his friend Millet, who was aboard the Titanic, and their great shared accomplishment, the World Columbian Exposition. Though world-altering, Chicago’s great fair had been blighted by death and destruction, not least a string of murders committed by a serial killer. As the book begins, the Olympic speeds onward to assist the Titanic.