The life and times of the much-vilified yet much-beloved Sonia Gandhi are viewed within the context of her leadership of the Indian National Congress Party in this historical biography. Beginning with the new right-wing Congress Party in the 1990s and moving through the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the subsequent decline of the party's fortunes, and the events that have guided politics in India over the past 15 years, this narrative traces Sonia Gandhi's responses to various challenges--the Gujarat riots, the deaths of senior colleagues, and the implications of successive electoral defeats. Her role in shaping the Congress Party and the central government, and the transformation of her persona as well as the public image of her party, are also covered.