New Orleans prepares a vast rally for Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison in September 1840. Benjamin January has little interest in the campaign, but political receptions and dances provide badly needed work for a professional musician.
After Marie-Joyeuse Maginot is murdered, January’s friend Catherine Clisson becomes the easiest suspect for the authorities to arrest. The investigation draws January into disputes among supporters of Harrison, Henry Clay and President Martin Van Buren, where campaign spectacle, personal rivalry and the protection of powerful families matter more than evidence.