Mark Coffin U.S.S.
 Young, idealistic Mark Coffin—he will not turn thirty until a week after the election—wins a surprise, upset victory, turning him from Stanford professor into the junior senator from California. Not only that, in the presidential election held at the same time, the presidential candidate of his party rides Mark's coattails to corral California's electoral votes and the White House. Mark is not totally a political neophyte. His father-in-law is Jim Elrod, the powerful senior senator from North Carolina. Mark's father owns one of the largest newspapers in the state. Mark goes to Washington amid the glare of the media spotlight. Some reporters consider him one of the most idealistic and finest senator to hit town in decades. One female reporter, though, is a sort of senatorial groupie--it is revealed that she has slept with earlier neophyte senators, and Mark is her latest target. Mark's hopes of sitting on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are damaged when he takes strong positions on two hot button issues—his father-in-law's bill to add an extra ten billion dollars to the defense appropriation, to be used to try to catch up with the Soviets; and the nomination of Charlie Macklin, the tough D.A. of Los Angeles County to be Attorney General. Mark leads other junior senators in bucking the Washington establishment on these two issues. The "Young Turks" include Rick Duclos of Vermont, who has an eye for the ladies and a teenage son, and Bob Templeton of Colorado, who recently lost his family in a plane accident. When Mark will not soften his opposition, he is deprived of the committee assignment, which is given to Duclos instead. Three other main characters include reporters Bill Adams, Chuck Dangerfield, and Lisette Greyson. They all take an interest in Mark's career from the start and seem to develop a case of "true believerism" (i.e. thinking Mark is a breath of fresh air and will do great things for the world). Lisette Greyson also takes a different kind of interest in Mark. She makes it clear almost from the start that she wants a relationship with Mark despite the fact that he is married. It is made clear throughout the novel that she has tried the same thing with other senators. Lisette and Mark run into each other on Inauguration night. Mark, drunk and depressed because of being kept off the Foreign Relations Committee, ends up sleeping with Lisette. Chuck Dangerfield knows of the affair and is determined to help mark in any way that he can to keep the story quiet. Inevitably, the story comes out, and Mark is damaged. His marriage is threatened, but survives, as his wife, knowing what is expected of political wives, backs him up publicly while slowly reconciling privately. Macklin tries to make political capital of the scandal, but overplays his hand, offending more senators than he persuades, and his nomination is narrowly defeated. Mark, however, loses on the appropriation issue, but his father in law is careful to allow him to save face. It is made clear that Mark enjoys a long political career.