James is an intelligent and curious boy who quickly grows up to be just the same in his young adulthood. An ambitious young man, and very interested in women, he works his way up from the bottom until he is successful enough to start his own company.
At work one day, he is seduced by an older woman, Heather, and their history is inextricably linked from then on. He eventually marries her, and they have two children, but James' appetite for danger and adventure does not disappear.
However, his success story continues as he eventually becomes hugely successful after meeting some landed gentry who own three estates.
This is an intriguing story because although his shenanigans might incline the reader to assume he has no morals, in fact, he does and that makes James a highly interesting and complex character.