In his novel 'The Financier,' the first part of 'The Trilogy of Desire,' Dreiser depicts the beginning of Frank Cowperwood's career. Driven by a desire to quickly acquire wealth and a respectable place in society, unable to stop in his tracks, Cowperwood becomes entangled in both financial and romantic affairs. Finding himself in a dangerous situation, facing imminent retribution, he bets on the only person capable of saving him—his chief rival.