The first chapter of the book provides a guide for the reader. It introduces the method of analysis used to understand Henry Hewitt’s responses to crises; many of which were of his own making.The chapter helps to understand the layout of the book and describes where the source material came from.

The second chapter describes the village of Clifton-on-Dunsmore from Domesday to Victorian times. There is an analysis of the population development of the village that shows a drop in live births during the time when Henry supplied the village with flour.

The third chapter describes how the popular belief came about that millers were dishonest cheats who adulterated their flour. From 1856 to his death in 1869 it must have appeared to many that Henry was an example of the worst kind of miller. To make his mill pay he installed new machinery run by steam power, but he did this at a time when there was increasing competition from industrialised flour manufacture.

Chapters 4 to 9 analyse reports from the local papers that show the steady decline of Henry from 1856 onward.

Chapter 10 analyses the report of the inquest held on Henry following his death. Probably the members of the jury were prejudiced and content to enquire no further than their public duty demanded. Their actions seem devoid of respect for Henry.

Chapter 11 provides an analysis of the stages of development in Henry’s life using as evidence the reports and comments presented in previous chapters. This analysis shows that flaws in his character were there from an early age and as an independent adult he was increasing unable to cope satisfactorily with the challenges of life. His late onset epilepsy contributed to the decline, but was not the root cause of it.