It depicts a political situation in which the office of Vice Presidency is vacant due to the incumbent's death.

Dilman's presidency is challenged by white racists, black political activists, and an attempted assassination.

At the end of the book, the protagonist—though having credibly dealt with considerable problems during his presidency and gained some popularity—does not consider running for re-election.

The Man was a major commercial success: it spent 38 weeks (peaking at #2) on the New York Times best seller list.

[2] In 1972, the novel was adapted as a political drama screenplay by Rod Serling, directed by Joseph Sargent and featuring James Earl Jones as President Douglass Dilman.