All the King's Men

Jack Burden introduces Willie Stark, now governor, through a car ride to Mason City. Flashbacks reveal Willie's origins as an honest county treasurer, his manipulated first campaign for governor, and his transformation from naive reformer to charismatic populist after discovering the political machine used him as a stooge.

Willie orders Jack to find dirt on Judge Irwin, a father figure to Jack who has publicly opposed Willie. Jack investigates and uncovers a decades-old bribery scandal that connects Judge Irwin to Governor Stanton, Adam and Anne's father. The investigation forces Jack deeper into the past he has spent his life avoiding.

Jack reveals Governor Stanton's corruption to Anne Stanton, shattering her moral framework. Anne begins an affair with Willie Stark. Jack, devastated, flees to California in what he calls the 'Great Sleep.' Adam Stanton is recruited to run Willie's hospital, persuaded partly by the knowledge that his father was no cleaner than Willie.

Jack develops his philosophy of the 'Great Twitch' — the idea that all human behavior is mechanical, without moral content. He uses this philosophy to justify his work for Willie and his refusal to take responsibility for consequences. The philosophy is tested by events that refuse to cooperate with its premises.

Tiny Duffy tells Adam Stanton about Anne's affair with Willie. Adam shoots Willie dead in the Capitol. Sugar-Boy kills Adam. Jack discovers Duffy's role and must decide what to do. He chooses not to take revenge but to accept responsibility. He finishes the Cass Mastern story, marries Anne, and prepares to re-enter history.