On the island of Saint Helena, a prisoner Napoleon resisted allies who, through the voice of the English governor, Hudson Lowe, tried to humiliate him, break him, poison him in the figurative sense of the word, and perhaps literally.

"The Dancing Hawk" refers to the son of a peasant who senses he can climb to the job in troubled times by playing his cards right. His slavery to work match his ambitions, and gradually he reaches the social position he desires. But the costs have included a dehumanized soul and a loss of a moral conscience. People have had to pay for his advancement, including those nearest to him. The downfall is equally painful: either imprisonment or the easy wasy out are offered as the alternatives.