Burnham Breaker

The narrative is set in the anthracite coal region around Scranton and follows an elderly man who seeks to enforce a verbal agreement made with a coal operator to produce the operator's child in exchange for payment. When the operator dies in a mine accident, legal and moral obstacles arise; the seeker turns to a shrewd lawyer and pursues the child's mother, triggering courtroom contests, schemes, and personal reckonings. The story moves between town, court, and the dangerous coal works, culminating in dramatic incidents in mine shafts, a trial for custody or liberty, and revelations that test loyalties and conscience.