After an opening wedding sequence, we follow the Pallisers on their honeymoon to Switzerland, where Glencora can't hide her unhappiness. The Vavasors are also in Switzerland, with John Grey, whom Alice is reluctantly engaged to. We learn that George and Alice were once engaged to be married. Thus begins the parallel stories of Glencora and Alice and their attraction to men who bring that whiff of romantic danger to their lives. As this episode draws to a close, we enter that world that Trollope was so good at revealing. The down and dirty world of borough politics, where the machinations of gaining a seat in Parliament require stamina and very deep pockets.