'The Titan' is the second part of Theodore Dreiser's famous 'Trilogy of Desire,' based on the life of American millionaire Charles Yerkes, who played a significant role in developing the Chicago public transportation system and the London Underground.

Cowperwood, after being released from a Philadelphia prison and making a series of successful speculations during the stock market panic that allowed him to become a millionaire, decides to continue his activities in Chicago. The novel describes the events in the protagonist's life after his Philadelphia period ('The Financier') and precedes the final part, the novel 'The Stoic.'