An American soldier in the Balkan war is in the café of a hotel in Paris when he sees another American soldier who does not seem like the type to be a soldier. Everything about the soldier, who is named Corey, is distinctively Midwestern, but he also has many medals on his uniform. The soldier speaks to Corey that night and asks about his medals. Corey just jokes that he bought them. The soldier learns that Corey is from Dubuque, Iowa, and he is a doctor who has been working in the Balkans since the war started. Corey tells him that he wants to settle down in Dubuque after the war, and he isn't the type to travel around the world like this.
The soldier thinks about Corey often but does not see him again. A few years later, when World War One has begun, he starts talking to an elderly man on a train he is on. He learns that the elderly man, named Mr. Ewing, is from the same town as Corey, so he brings up Corey. Mr. Ewing reveals that he lives just around the corner from Corey, and Corey's wife lives there now. He also reveals that Corey is dead. He died a little over three months ago, in Europe. He says that Corey left him a queer message when he died, and he tells the story of how he and Corey became friends.
Corey had gone to medical school, and every time he left home he was relieved to come back. He studied herbs, which led to him taking a trip to China, but on the way there, the Boxer Rebellion broke out, so he started helping in the war. That was where he received his first few medals. Although everyone expected him to be changed when he came back, Corey was always the same. He got married, and his wife always showed her friends his medals. However, he is very humble about them and does not like the attention. When the World War broke out, Corey did not go, telling Mr. Ewing that he saw no need to. Corey went to a medical convention in Philadelphia, and he was supposed to be gone for two weeks, but ended up being away for two months. He wrote his wife during that time, saying that there were experiments that they were developing.   
   A few months after he returned, Corey came rushing into Mr. Ewing's house, saying that his wife had found "it." When Mr. Ewing questioned him further, Corey reveals that he had gone to fight in the war, not Philadelphia, and his wife had discovered the Croix de Querre medal he had received there. She had told him that the reason he always went to fight in wars and left home was because he could not resist getting a new medal. He now believes this, because he never before knew why he always left home. Mr. Ewing tries to assure Corey that it is not true, but Corey is convinced. The next day, Corey left for Europe, and his wife went to Des Moines to be with her family. 
After Corey died, Mr. Ewing met a man named Burke who knew Corey well. Burke said that Corey was queer, and that he always wore his medals but was also the least egotistical man he knew. One day, they all received word that there was an officer stuck in a trench, too wounded to move. Corey volunteered to help, and went alone into the trench. A torpedo struck the trench, and Corey put his body over the officer to save him. Corey was wounded, and Burke went to see him when he regained consciousness. Burke told Corey that the General was coming to see him in a few hours to give him the Medaille Militaire, which is the one medal never given to dead men. Corey asked for a pen and paper, and wrote out Mr. Ewing's address, telling Burke that all the papers should go to him. Corey also told Burke to tell Mr. Ewing that there was no use telling his wife about the medal. A doctor came in to give Corey medicine, but he refused it. When Burke mentioned staying alive to receive the medal, Corey just smiled. Without the medicine, Corey died. 
Mr. Ewing asks the man why he thinks that Corey did not want his wife to know, but he does not ave an answer. He gets off of the train, parting ways with Mr. Ewing. Later, he thinks that maybe Corey wanted to save his wife from the pang of an added disgrace.