The New City
Emerges from prison, decides to leave Philadelphia, and travels to Chicago to seek new business opportunities.
A Reconnoiter
Arrives in Chicago to assess investment opportunities; impresses Judah Addison with his demeanor and financial acumen; conceals his prison record and marital plans.
A Chicago Evening
Confides in Addison about his past, decides to settle in Chicago, and drives Aileen through the city's wealthy districts, promising her a grand future.
Peter Laughlin & Co.
Seeks a Chicago partner and shrewdly selects Peter Laughlin for his local knowledge; negotiates a 51% stake in the new firm.
Concerning a Wife and Family
Resolves to rule alone after prison; partners with Peter Laughlin as a tool; secures divorce from Lillian to marry Aileen.
The New Queen of the Home
Marries Aileen and moves to Chicago; plans their social strategy and hosts a dinner to introduce Aileen to key contacts.
VII: Chicago Gas
Plans to consolidate Chicago's gas companies; recruits Judah Addison as investor and Henry De Soto Sippens as practical gas man.
Now This Is Fighting
Orchestrates the suburban gas franchise scheme, hiring multiple lawyers and dummy presidents to keep his involvement hidden.
In Search of Victory
Shows genuine affection for Aileen, invests heavily in gas franchises, and begins building an art collection. He is pragmatic about their social standing in Chicago.
A Test
Hosts the opening of the Michigan Avenue house, using his wealth and magnetism to advance socially, while holding a private levee of men.
The Fruits of Daring
Under legal attack for conspiracy in the gas franchise scheme; maintains public denial of involvement; dismisses Schryhart's overture.
A New Retainer
Seeks a meeting with McKenty to gain support for a gas franchise, presenting himself as a promoter and guardian of gas companies.
XIII: The Die Is Cast
Recognizes the social ostracism and tries to console Aileen; is warned by Addison about club members trying to drive him out; remains defiant.
Undercurrents
Reflects on social isolation and the growing divide between himself and Aileen; begins to pursue other women.
XV: A New Affection
Actively pursues Rita Sohlberg, using Aileen's friendship with the Sohlbergs as a pretext; sends expensive roses and arranges a secret meeting.
A Fateful Interlude
Deepens his affair with Mrs. Sohlberg and begins a new relationship with his secretary Antoinette Nowak, showing his relentless pursuit of romantic and artistic fulfillment.
An Overture to Conflict
Grows remote and mechanically attentive as his clandestine affairs drift; tries to conceal his altered mood from Aileen.
XVIII: The Clash
Carries on affairs with Antoinette Nowak and Rita Sohlberg; Aileen stamps on his picture.
XIX: “Hell Hath No Fury—”
Intervenes in the attack, comforts Rita, then tries to soothe Aileen but makes a damaging remark about her past; pursues Aileen when she runs away.
Man and Superman
Confronts Harold Sohlberg at the sanitarium, first denying then admitting the affair, and uses a combination of bribery and intimidation to secure Sohlberg's silence.
A Matter of Tunnels
Resolves the Sohlberg affair, turns attention to street-railway ambitions, explores the abandoned tunnels, and considers cable-car technology.
Street-Railways at Last
Finalizes the North Chicago Street Railway deal, becoming president of the new company; manipulates directors through Kaffrath and Johnson; attempts to soothe Aileen's hurt feelings.
The Power of the Press
Cowperwood strategizes to gain newspaper support for his street-railway plans, reflecting on his ambitions for wealth and power.
The Coming of Stephanie Platow
Continues his financial progress while maintaining a facade of affection for Aileen; his eye wanders toward new interests, including Stephanie Platow.
Airs from the Orient
Grows infatuated with Stephanie Platow, giving her jade jewelry and praising her artistic talents.
Love and War
Deepens his affair with Stephanie Platow while advancing his street-railway schemes in Chicago.
XXVII: A Financier Bewitched
Bewitched by Stephanie Platow, he becomes jealous and suspicious of her many male admirers, pleading for her fidelity.
XXVIII: The Exposure of Stephanie
Confronts Stephanie about her affair with Forbes Gurney, ends their relationship, and hires a detective to investigate her.
A Family Quarrel
Continues multiple affairs, including with Stephanie Platow, Cecily Haguenin, and Florence Cochrane, causing Aileen distress.
Obstacles
Orchestrates the demolition of Purdy's building and navigates political opposition to his traction plans.
XXXI: Untoward Disclosures
Confronted by Haguenin about his affair with Cecily; remains unrepentant and pragmatic. Also begins an affair with Mrs. Hosmer Hand.
Mr. Lynde to the Rescue
Though absent, his infidelities—especially the rumored affair with Mrs. Hand—drive Aileen's emotional turmoil and her openness to Lynde.
Enter Hosmer Hand
The target of Hand's wrath; his credit and political alliances come under attack as Hand mobilizes opposition.
An Election Draws Near
Observes the campaign attacks against him with a smile; plans legal and political defenses with McKenty and Addison.
XXXVII: Aileen’s Revenge
Confronts Aileen about her affair; initially angry but ultimately resigned and sorrowful.
An Hour of Defeat
Reflects on Aileen's desertion and the political defeat; plans to conciliate enemies and approaches Gilgan for support.
The New Administration
Indirectly involved; his agents bribe aldermen to oppose anti-Cowperwood measures, though he knows nothing of the Claudia Carlstadt plot.
A Trip to Louisville
Travels to Louisville seeking loans; meets Hattie Starr and becomes fascinated by her daughter Berenice Fleming.
XLI: The Daughter of Mrs. Fleming
Visits New York with Mrs. Carter to meet Berenice; is immediately struck by her beauty and personality; makes a poetic remark about daisy chains and Cytherea.
F. A. Cowperwood, Guardian
Visits Forest Edge, observes Berenice with growing fascination, feels his age at the dance.
XLIII: The Planet Mars
Plans elevated railway expansion; considers funding a giant telescope to enhance his public reputation and financial standing.
A Franchise Obtained
Orchestrates the blackmail of Mayor Sluss to secure the elevated road franchise.
XLV: Changing Horizons
Reflects on his wealth, social standing, and plans for a New York mansion; his thoughts increasingly turn to Berenice Fleming.
XLVI: Depths and Heights
Reflects on his sentimental affairs and becomes increasingly fascinated by Berenice Fleming.
American Match
Continues to expand his elevated railway empire, manipulates stocks, and builds a cash reserve. Suspects a plot by his enemies and declines to bail out American Match.
XLVIII: Panic
Implied to have profited from the American Match collapse by selling stock through agents, incurring the enmity of the quadrumvirate.
Mount Olympus
Summoned to the meeting, Cowperwood defiantly threatens the assembled financiers, refusing to be their scapegoat and warning of panic if his loans are called.
A New York Mansion
Reflects on his unfulfilled ambition at age fifty-seven; plans a palatial New York mansion and gallery; triumphs over Chicago rivals in the American Match crisis; worries about political threats to his franchises.
The Revival of Hattie Starr
Financially supports Berenice and Mrs. Carter; intervenes to eject the drunken intruder.
Behind the Arras
Revealed as the secret benefactor of the Flemings; advises Mrs. Carter to brazen out the scandal; privately sees the incident as a windfall to scare away Braxmar.
LIII: A Declaration of Love
Visits Berenice in Pocono and confesses his long-standing love and secret financial support.
Wanted—Fifty-Year Franchises
Reflects on his love for Berenice and plans franchise extensions and consolidation of his traction companies.
Cowperwood and the Governor
Attempts to bribe Governor Swanson with $300,000 to secure a franchise bill; remains determined and genial despite defeat.
LVI: The Ordeal of Berenice
Proposes buying a house for Berenice and her mother, confesses his love, and wishes for freedom from Aileen; manipulates the situation through Mrs. Carter.
LVII: Aileen’s Last Card
Confronted by Aileen, admits his love for her is dead and asks for a divorce, offering financial settlements.
LVIII: A Marauder Upon the Commonwealth
Determined to secure a fifty-year franchise, he works behind the scenes with political and financial allies, vowing to overcome newspaper and public opposition.
LIX: Capital and Public Rights
Central figure in the franchise battle; portrayed as a national and international figure, the target of public outrage and newspaper cartoons.
LX: The Net
Defends his actions to Berenice, detailing his battles with rivals and his plans for a consolidated transit system; embodies Promethean defiance.
LXI: The Cataclysm
Central figure in the franchise battle; uses bribery and political influence to secure votes.
LXII: The Recompense
Sits alone in his library, devastated by the loss of the gas franchise vote, feeling tired and isolated. His mood transforms with Berenice's arrival.
In Retrospect
Reflected upon as a giant whose blazing trail illuminates the terrors and wonders of individuality, yet who remains forever hungry and restless, pursuing wealth and beauty across Europe.
