The Man Who Played God

Overview

Concert pianist Montgomery Royle's life changes irrevocably when a bomb explodes during a performance for a visiting king, leaving him deaf and ending his career. Returning to New York City with his sister Florence, best friend Mildred Miller, and much younger fiancée Grace Blair, Montgomery grapples with despair but ultimately rejects thoughts of suicide. Instead, he discovers his ability to lip-read, spending time watching the lives of others from his apartment window. Inspired by their struggles, he anonymously intervenes, immersing himself in a new purpose of "playing God" to help those around him.