'Returned Empty' by Florence L. Barclay is a novel that unfolds with a heartbreaking scene of a baby left on a doorstep with only a label that reads "Returned Empty." The baby is taken to a foundlings' institution where eventually he grows up as Luke Sparrow, a lonely child with sad eyes and a yearning for love. As he grows older, Luke excels in school, but his heart remains closed to others, leaving him feeling like a misfit. The novel follows Luke's journey as he searches for his true identity and a sense of belonging in a world that seems determined to reject him. Will Luke ever find the love and acceptance he desperately craves?