In An American Life, Jeb Magruder narates the gripping, sometimes tragic story of his rise and fall. It is much a personal story as a political one. Magruder tells of his beautiful, idealistic wife, Gail, who shared the days of glory with him, and then was a source of strength to him, in his time of despair. He describes how he and Gail have fought to keep their family intact amid the storms of the Watergate controversy.