W.T.G. Morton came from a simple farming life, often experiencing financial hardship as a child. Attempting to compensate, he established a magnificent estate and family compound in an upscale neighborhood. The same driven personality that allowed him to accomplish this drove him to seek wealth and to make a name for himself. He was initially successful with a thriving dental practice. In his pursuit of financial compensation for the discovery of ether and to be named as the sole discoverer of anesthesia, he neglected his dental practice, became impoverished and had difficulty maintaining his fine lifestyle. This was the tale of the rise and fall of a ambitious man.