Stewart Fletcher, a restless young Englishman rebels against his future as a solicitor's office clerk and wants to become part of the of the technological advancements at the turn of the 20th Century. After a confrontation with a member of the elite British society, he escapes prosecution by entering the United States illegally. With determination, vision and luck he successfully enters the emerging automobile market stimulated by geniuses as Henry Ford and Ransom Olds. After a failed marriage to a talented Irish girl he is led to a destiny he never expected.

Johannes Egbers was born and reared in The Netherlands. After completing his engineering studies he served as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Air Force. He was employed by the Royal Dutch Shell Group and the Du Pont Company in five European countries and for American States and retired as a managing director. He became a US citizen in 1962. After retirement he was ten years on the faculty of Lehigh University as a professor of engineering management and a consultant for global companies. He was knighted in the Royal Order of the Belgium Crown by King Baudouin of Belgium.