Phileas Fogg and his hapless partner, Passepartout, rescue young Aouda from the funeral pyre of her late husband, planning to find her a home with a suitable relative. None are to be found in the whole of India, but she recalls one relative who had gone to Hong Kong.

Since Fogg had planned to travel through Hong Kong, he offered to transport the young woman there and secure her lodging with her relative before embarking on the remainder of his voyage.

However, upon reaching Hong Kong,(chapter 18) Fogg learned through a broker that the relative had since left Hong Kong, and probably had gone to Holland, although no one could know for certain. At that point, Fogg determined to have the young woman travel with him to Europe and seek out her relative on the home continent.

Of course, once the group reached the British Isles, Aouda was in love with Fogg, and she married him, making him the happiest of men.