Booth Tarkington's first novel, The Gentleman From Indiana, lays out a number of the recurring themes that would reappear in many of the author's later works, including a Midwestern setting and a highly moral protagonist who battles against forces of evil which are often symptomatic of deeper problems in the United States. In this story, the upright John Harkness returns to his hometown after law school, only to find himself locked in conflict with a group of racist crusaders.