December 31, 1951 – 11:00 PM Presidential Palace – Havana, Cuba

He is the President of Cuba. He is surrounded by the wealthiest, most powerful citizens in Havana. But tonight, he is about to realize just how quickly his empire is crumbling.

In this episode, we step into the dazzling, champagne-soaked excess of the Salón de los Espejos, where President Carlos Prio Socarras is hosting the high-society New Year's Eve party of the year. Known as "El Presidente Cordial," Prio has built a career on blinding smiles and backroom compromises. But as the clock ticks closer to 1952, the walls are closing in.

His chosen successor, Aureliano Sanchez, is drowning in the scandalous aftermath of a political rival's horrific, very public suicide. Worse, the brutal former dictator Fulgencio Batista is circling the ballroom like a ...