A meticulous English gentleman wagers that he can circumnavigate the globe within eighty days and departs at once with his newly hired servant. Their voyage threads together a sequence of timed transfers by rail, steamer, and other conveyances, punctuated by delays, unexpected rescues, and encounters in diverse locales. A lawman wrongly suspects the gentleman of a crime and pursues them, adding obstacles to the schedule. The narrative emphasizes punctuality, resourcefulness, and the interplay of technological ambition with human kindness and mischance, building toward a tense, time-driven culmination that resolves questions of luck, duty, and the limits of planning.