The year is 1915 and the gruesome murder of James Redcliffs wife and son takes place in the upper-class Back Bay area of Boston. James Redcliff himself is found dead as he returns home from Albany. With little to go on, the Boston Police are at a loss on what or who is behind the familys murder. But a letter, which James sent before leaving New York, will shed light on the case. The letter alludes to a conspiracy by Franz von Papen and German agents to bring the United States into the war in Europe. A German U-Boat sails to fulfill Papens agenda, where hundreds, maybe thousands will die. Joined by the beautiful niece of Redcliff and a private detective, Royden Cheney receives the letter and the three find themselves racing from the streets of Boston to Northern Vermont. They become entangled in a conspiracy by a secret council that threatens the security of the United States as they seek to solve the murders before it is too late.