Summary
In a labyrinthine narrative of fraternal sacrifice and profound deception, Secret Service operative Richard Paget inherits a perilous mission from his twin, John, who chooses self-immolation to expose a treacherous plot. John, embroiled in the nefarious machinations of German saboteurs masquerading as an airplane manufacturing firm, reveals their intent to supply the United States with fatally flawed aircraft for the burgeoning war effort. Richard, assuming his late brother's persona, meticulously infiltrates the aviation corps, deploying to the European front. His intricate ruse is complicated by the unexpected arrival of John's fiancée, Lois Graham, a Red Cross nurse, who unwittingly becomes a pawn in his high-stakes charade. Executing a meticulously pre-orchestrated capture behind enemy lines, Richard accrues the dubious distinction of the Iron Cross, a testament to his perceived loyalty to the German cause, even as his planted misinformation covertly assures a pivotal Allied triumph. The culmination of his clandestine operations leads to a marriage with Lois, a union swiftly imperiled when she uncovers his German decoration on their wedding night. Her subsequent, albeit aborted, attempt on his life gives way to his arrest, only for Richard to unveil the full tapestry of his espionage, sharing critical enemy intelligence and illuminating the true patriotism behind his elaborate subterfuge. Reconciled and vindicated, the couple embarks on their aerial honeymoon, their bond forged anew in the crucible of war and identity.
Synopsis
Secret Service officer Richard Paget receives a letter from his twin brother John imploring him to take over his identity after he commits suicide, so that Richard can subvert the plans made by the airplane company which John had financed, to make defective planes for the United States to use in the war. The company, John's letter relates, is run by German spies. Richard assumes John's identity, enlists in the aviation corps, and goes to France where he is followed by John's fiancée, Lois Graham, a Red Cross nurse. After Richard is shot down over German lines, according to plan, he receives the Iron Cross even though his false information concerning troop movements leads to an Allied victory. Richard marries Lois, but on their wedding night she discovers his Iron Cross, and although she is unable to kill him, she has him arrested. After he turns over German secrets he learned behind enemy lines, and explains his mission, Richard and Lois take off in an airplane for their honeymoon.
