The Globe article about the brave flying ace struck by lightning combines with some more of the Valiant's cases to give the detective agency the reputation of being the people to hire when you're going up against Acts Of God and other impossibilities. The reputation is nailed solidly in the Case of the Long-Lost Wife, in which a gentleman hires the Valiants to track down his wife, who went missing some twenty years back. With a little help from the rest of the party, they do in fact find her, long dead and buried in the basement of the husband's brother's house.

In addition to his continuing Globe freelancing, Peter is offered a commission by Life Magazine for a photojournalism essay on heroes of the Great War - where they are now, those who have continued to be heroes of various kinds (Tommy is considered to fall into this category) and those who have happily become normal.

In October of 1929, Mr. Bellesby has a number of dreams which suggest to him that he would have better karma if he put all his money under the bed. Inasmuch as this is possible, he does so, and, surprisingly, it does help some in the Crash to follow. Neither Esme nor Roderick is quite as well off as they were before, though relatively speaking, they're still doing well. Roderick loses one of his two servants, while the other, the Scottish Manservant, stays on apparently only to torment Roderick.

Tommy manages to get the remnants of his plane back from North Ashfield, and starts to put it back together. Esme helps with this, claiming to have friends who keep giving her propellers and airplane carburetors and such.

Dr. Schreber is offered the prestigious post of Trustee In Charge of Inmate Medication at Arkham Asylum (putting him far and away in the lead of Most Connected to the Cthulhu Mythos).

Charlie begins to be given more responsibility around the docks, both legitimate and otherwise. Gerti's younger sister gets married; all of the relatives on Gerti's side of the family refrain from any comments to Gerti herself.

Much of the party continues to visit and correspond with the Apcotts; Julian in particular sends letters to Tommy, Roderick, and Dr. Schreber asking questions about the Great War (Dr. Schreber: "I shall have to write a treatise!")