“The sixth Benedict Arnold surprised everyone by surviving.”

Sheinkin opens the narrative proper with an account of Benedict Arnold's family history. Arnold is born during a brutal winter in New England, with sustained subzero temperatures. His survival foreshadows his later toughness and propensity to survive any number of hardships in war. 

“He was a thrill seeker, a natural athlete, a born show-off.”

Sheinkin paints a vivid portrait of Arnold as a boy, highlighting those qualities which would mold his adult life. His love of danger, his physical prowess and endurance, and his craving for attention will all mark his behavior during the Revolutionary War.

“These traits made an explosive mix, more than enough for a dazzling rise—and a spectacular crash.”

Arnold's rise in the military during the Revolution is fueled by his fiery personal qualities, but these will also cause his downfall when he switches sides in the war and is unmasked as a traitor.