In the Garden of Beasts is a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitlers reign, brought to life through the stories of two people: William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became Americas first ambassador to Hitlers regime, and his scandalously carefree daughter, Martha. Ambassador Dodd, an unassuming and scholarly man, is an odd fit among the extravagance of the Nazi elite. His frugality annoys his fellow Americans in the State Department and Dodds growing misgivings about Hitlers ambitions fall on deaf ears among his peers, who are content to “give Hitler everything he wants.” Martha, on the other hand, is mesmerized by the glamorous parties and the high-minded conversation of Berlins salon societyand flings herself headlong into numerous affairs with the citys elite, most notably the head of the Gestapo and a Soviet spy. Both become players in the exhilarating (and terrifying) story of Hitlers obsession for absolute power, which culminates in the events of one murderous night, later known as “the Night of Long Knives.”