Around his fifties, Stevaert was still the most popular politician in the country, single-handedly revitalizing the struggling socialist party. "Steve is God," the press headline read after the historic election victory of 2003, and for a moment, it seemed true. Stevaert was a self-made man, a café owner from Hasselt who had no degree but spoke the language of the people. But Steve Stevaert was also a power politician, a man who could not accept no for an answer. Not from fellow politicians during negotiations, and not from people he met in his private life... The red thread woven through this series is what power can do to an ordinary person.

In this four-part series, Luc Haekens talks to men and women who knew Stevaert up close. Bert Anciaux, Willy Claes, Frieda Brepoels, Patrick Janssens, Johan Van de Lanotte, Noël Slangen, Brigitte Vermeersch, Siegfried Bracke, Anissa Temsamani, and many others share their experiences with the former top politician.