Acclaimed author Eric Burns investigates the year of 1920, which was not only a crucial twelve-month period of its own, but one that foretold the future, foreshadowing the rest of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, whether it was Sacco and Vanzetti or the stock market crash that brought this era to a close.

"Two sheets of flame" -- Homeland security -- The long, black night of the spirits -- Resolutions and sentiments -- Civil wrongs -- The robber barons and their serfs -- The beginning of Ponzi's dream -- The ignoble experiment -- Planning parenthood -- The end of Ponzi's scheme -- The closed door in the White House -- On the air -- The Ohio gangsters -- The investigation -- Uproar in the arts -- The "jass" age -- The flapper.