Leonard Outram, a young Englishman who's just lost his fortune along with and his fiancee's hand, makes an oath: he'll win back his home and live happily ever after. Really! Well, sort of. Leonard ends up in Africa, which, at that point in history, was the place to win your fortune back for the gods of fate. Leonard rescues a maid from a slave-dealer - for a fee, of course! - and then falls in love with her, complicating the heck out of his situation. Oh well: a great adventure ensues, taking them to places no one has ever heard of, then or now - leading to narrow escapes, love, intrigue, and of course, high adventure.