Sid Praley returns to New York from Honduras after an absence of ten years. He doesn't come empty handed but has made a million dollar fortune. He hopes to increase his newly acquired fortune by investing it on Wall Street. His reception isn't what he imagined it would be and he is faced with hostility from every corner Who is working against him? And just as importantly, why? And what is the meaning of the notes he receives The Brand of Silence - Why can't he receive service in hotels, restaurants, and theaters that he once frequented? But he finds New York a very changed place, and even more distressing, he finds that his old friends are now turning their backs on him, his old haunts no longer welcome him, and there seems to be a conspiracy against him. Who is working against him? And just as importantly, why? And what is the meaning of the notes he receives which remind him of "retribution"? When he is accused of murder he hires private detective Jim Farley to discover why he is being targeted.