This tontine (a 19th century combo of lottery, life insurance and last-man's club) starts on the day of Waterloo and ends as the century draws to a close.
The drama touches royalty and millionaires, actresses and sailors, planters and portrait painters. It ranges from London to the Caribbean, driven by a world in high gear, a world powered by greed.
But time flies by. Three survivors wait each other out. Then two, and at last, only one. . .a winner with everything but a future.
