Henry Adams, a twenty-seven-year-old clerk in a San Francisco mining broker's office, has got into major difficulties after his little sailboat was carried out to sea. Henry often messes about on the water in his spare time, sailing around San Francisco Bay; but on this particular occasion, he's ventured too far and found himself in a whole world of trouble.

Fortunately, a small brig bound for London is on hand to save Henry from what might so easily have been a very sticky situation. Even so, Henry isn't treated to a nice, relaxing sea cruise to help him recover from what must've been a very traumatic experience. Instead, he's expected to pay for his passage to the British capital.

As Henry doesn't have any money on him—somewhat ironic, given what will happen to him later on in the story—he has to pay for his voyage by working for nothing as a common sailor. By the time he arrives in London, Henry is a sorry sight. His clothes are worn and shabby and he has only a dollar in his pocket. This is only enough to provide Henry with food and shelter for twenty-four hours. For the twenty-four hours after that, he goes without food and shelter completely.