Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby, held some of the greatest offices of state during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He was the first Secretary of State for India after the institution of reforms as a consequence of the Mutiny. He was Foreign Secretary twice, the first time during the Derby/Disraeli government in 1866/8; and the second when the Conservatives returned to office in 1874. Following his resignation in 1878, he eventually joined the Liberals and became Colonial Secretary in Gladstone's second administration 1880-5.

The weight of historical opinion has largely gone against Lord Derby. His handling of foreign affairs is typically characterized as weak and vacillating, a reflection, allegedly, of defects within his own personality. This book tells a different story. It depicts a man of principle who fell victim, not to any innate shortcoming, but to the machinations of less scrupulous colleagues, and to an over ambitious wife.