In his position as a senior agent with the Bureau of Prohibition in the Department of Internal Revenue, Nelson Van Alden tackles his job with the fervor of a man possessed. He is deeply religious and is married to Rose Van Alden. Van Alden is under the command of Supervisor Elliot and partnered with agent Eric Sebso. Van Alden, for his religious and career reasons, is against the evils of alcohol with a passion, putting him distinctly at odds with Nucky Thompson, the most powerful man in Atlantic City who oversees all the illicit importing and distribution of alcohol in the immediate area and beyond. Van Alden's investigation in the area begins with New York bootlegger and gangster Arnold Rothstein and soon leads him to Nucky. Van Alden would love nothing more than to lock Nucky up for good.Van Alden has a dark side of his own, however, including lashing himself as punishment for misdeeds and going too far in his efforts to enforce the law.Van Alden has a strained relationship with his wife, Rose, who lives far away while he is on assignment with his work. He dutifully maintains written correspondence with her, but does not seem to share many details of his life with her and her apparent inability to bear children becomes a source of conflict. He firmly believes that if God wanted them to have children, they would.