(This book has been illustrated) The country Askew has discovered a new way to power steam vehicles. Before, they used coal. Thick pollution would cover the land and the mines were getting scarce. That was until the ellipse was discovered. The Ellipse. Bright orange power, that when set in motion would heat engines and ovens, used to light lanterns and power entire cities. Monroe Clifton works at a clock shop in the city Corse. He thinks the ellipse is brilliant, but clockwork and machines is what he loves the most. And he is overjoyed when his boss, Mildred Haywood, Gives him a mysterious and complicated machine to build. He is hoping to learn more about machines and ellipse. And hopefully find a better future in building. But everything goes wrong when he descoveres the strange dark ellipse, and a man with a saw for a hand begins trying to kill him.