A new century is dawning, and an old woman lies dying, a diminutive figure in a large double bed in a vast palace. The time is January 1901, and the woman is Victoria, Queen of England, Empress of India, and sovereign ruler of the greatest empire on earth. Her reign has lasted more than 63 years. She has given her name to an age. Now it is ending, with the abyss of the unknown ahead. As shock waves go around the world, only one thing is sure: The world will never be the same again.

Besides giving us a close-up chronicle of the last days, the death, and the funeral of Queen Victoria, Jerrold M. Packard subtly weaves a multi-peopled historical drama, one that captures England with all her pride, pomp, and power illumined in the blazing light of sunset.