When Gloria Guild, the singing "Glory" of the thirties and millionaire wife of Count Carlos Armando, is murdered, she leaves only one clue: the word "face" written in her dying scrawl. Who or what is "face"? Ellery and his father the Inspector, British agent Harry Burke, and Sergeant Velle all get involved. Ellery's search takes him from the Bowery to a way-out wedding before he arrives at a shocking conclusion.