Elizabeth Hobart at Exeter Hall

In the soot‑blackened town of Bitumen, narrow unpaved streets bustle with children from Irish, Italian, Polish, Slavic and Russian families, each splashing through rain‑filled gutters while a lone saloon, run by the shrewd Dennis O’Day, watches over the restless crowd. A newly opened Club House, stocked with cheap coffee and cheap talk, threatens O’Day’s business, hinting at hidden powers pulling the town’s strings. Amid the grime, the superintendent’s house at Mountain Glen stands out—a modest wooden home with bright curtains, manicured lawns, and a splash of scarlet sage that offers a brief glimpse of comfort in an otherwise harsh landscape.

At the heart of this community is Mr. Hobart, a once‑promising mining engineer whose groundbreaking work on mine‑explosive safety was cut short by a mysterious illness. Sent to Bitumen for its crisp mountain air, he now lives in the serene Glen house, battling the lingering effects of his condition while striving to rebuild his career and protect his family. As he adjusts to the town’s rough edges, the tensions between O’Day, the Club House, and the miners promise to test both his resolve and the fragile peace of Bitumen.