Actions Passions — Patrick Anderson

Charles Pierce: A handsome young senatory-on-the-move, he had given too much to politics, too little to his wife and children. In his calculated climb to the top of the political heap, there had been no time for personal problems. But now the world was crumbling around him.

Carol Pierce: Tired of being the perfect Washington wife, she found a job, joined the women's movement, and had an affair. But Carol didn't really want a lover - she just wanted her husband back.

Beth Pierce: An ebullient idealist, Charles's younger sister had believed the promises of Camelot - but her dreams had eventually been destroyed.

Major Hank Bailey: At 17, he had been Carol's first lover. Now he was back to claim her again.

The epic saga of a Washington decade - years when the passions of politics and war were transformed into actions of the most desperate kind.