At the beginning of World War I, John Lincoln Lyle, the son of a prominent family in his hometown of Furnass, PA, fell from a troop ship in New York Harbor; though it was thought he drowned, he actually survived but suffered hideous injuries to his face when struck by a ship's propeller. As a result he must wear a mask in public, both for the protection of his wounds and to spare others the sight of his grotesque injuries. Now, twenty years later, he has returned unannounced to his hometown. His reasons are unclear though he makes inquiries about his twin sister, Mary Lydia, who was pregnant at the time he left, and his older stepbrother Gus, who inherited the family business, the Keystone Steam Works. Along the way, John Lincoln befriends Anna, the woman who owns the restaurant in the hotel where he is staying. When a young engineer, Daniel, who was embezzling the Steam Works, is found dead in an alley, suspicion falls both on Gus and on his son, Mal, each one who has motive and opportunity. The resolution sees the end of a proud family as well as a new beginning for John Lincoln.At the beginning of World War I, John Lincoln Lyle, the son of a prominent family in his hometown of Furnass, PA, fell from a troop ship in New York Harbor; though it was thought he drowned, he actually survived but suffered hideous injuries to his face when struck by a ship's propeller. As a result he must wear a mask in public, both for the protection of his wounds and to spare others the sight of his grotesque injuries. Now, twenty years later, he has returned unannounced to his hometown. His reasons are unclear though he makes inquiries about his twin sister, Mary Lydia, who was pregnant at the time he left, and his older stepbrother Gus, who inherited the family business, the Keystone Steam Works. Along the way, John Lincoln befriends Anna, the woman who owns the restaurant in the hotel where he is staying. When a young engineer, Daniel, who was embezzling the Steam Works, is found dead in an alley, suspicion falls both on Gus and on his son, Mal, each one who has motive and opportunity. The resolution sees the end of a proud family as well as a new beginning for John Lincoln.