Following the end of the American Revolutionary War and the news of the tragic death of John Laurens at the hands of fleeing British soldiers after the war's conclusion, "Non-Stop" closes out the first act by recounting Hamilton's exceedingly busy and self-centered life.
He co-authors the Federalist Papers and is selected by now-president George Washington to serve as the Secretary of the Treasury of the new nation.
In the meantime, Angelica moves to London with her new husband, and Eliza begs Hamilton to stay with her to be a father to his son, but instead he buries himself in his work and begins to have friction with his former friends and loved ones including Eliza, Washington, and Aaron Burr.
[2] One reviewer described the track's key success being tied to its relentlessness, mirroring Hamilton's own character.
[3] Other comparisons have included the song's "urgency and momentum" as the nation is built following the end of the war.