About a political idealist who changes his colours and engages in a sexual adventure. A successful author and Liberal MP Richard Remington appears to be a man to envy. But underneath his superficial contentment, he is far from happy with either his marriage or the politics of his party. The New Machiavelli describes the disarray into which his life is thrown when he meets the young and beautiful Isabel Rivers and becomes tormented by desire. At first, he struggles to resist and remain focused upon his familiar political, personal and social life. But as he soon learns, it is harder than he could have imagined to turn his back on love. In the character of Richard Remington, Wells created a damning portrait of an insufferable, egoistic, pontificating windbag whose attempts to set an agenda to improve society whether to uphold the British Empire or allow women to play a greater part in social life pays no attention to the effects on the people he is supposed to represent.