Tallien begins as the story of an estranged father and son. The relationship is strained over the years by the father's efforts to organize restaurant workers during the Depression. After 30 years of separation, the son visits his father’s deathbed and offers the story of Jean Lambert Tallien, leader of the French Revolution. The book skillfully slips from the present day story of father and son to the story of Tallien's rise and fall. His role and position in the French Revolution is jeopardized when he meets and falls in love with Terese de Fontenay, the widow of a recently beheaded nobleman. Eventually, Tallien’s passion for Terese sways him into joining Napolean’s forces.
