The novel commences on February 23, 1861 as Lincoln, the incumbent president, is traveling to Washington for his inauguration. It is in Washington where a majority of the novel is set. Washington is depicted as turbulent and deteriorating with infestations of pests, poor infrastructure, a Capitol building without a dome, and an incomplete Washington Monument. The novel extends across Lincoln’s two terms of office throughout the American civil war. It offers a detailed and extensive narrative, with the book totaling over 650 pages. It primarily focuses on Lincoln's efforts to unite and mobilize political adversaries and military strategists to ultimately win the war. It is through the various perspectives of other characters that Vidal portrays an ambitious visionary who struggles with an unstable marriage, physical ailments and the failing trust of his fellow cabinet members. The novel also explores Lincoln’s growth as he overcomes these personal and political burdens to ultimately triumph and preserve the union. Vidal completes the novel with President Lincoln’s assassination.