Phineas Finn, a red-blooded young Irishman possesing charm and good looks is elected to Parliament by his local borough, and in London he wins the love of the influential Lady Laura Kennedy. With her help, his Parliamentary career advances, but this is secondary to the social and sexual intrigues that beset Phineas. He encounters the lovely Violet Effingham, the mysterious Madame Max Goesler - one of Trollope's finest characters - the madcap Lord Chiltern, and is forced to fight a duel.