Eager to make a great fortune and marry the love of his life, Cyril Paxton invests all of his money in the stock market and loses it all in a final disastrous speculation. A ruined man, Cyril decides to emigrate, but on the train to Southampton, due to a luggage mix-up, he switches bags with certain Mr. Lawrence, and gets in possession of the stolen Duchess of Datchet's diamonds. He is exhilarated by the change of luck, but he'll soon find himself pursued by both the robbers and the police.

Richard Marsh was the best-selling author, prolific in many genres including horror, crime, thriller, but also romance and humor. Marsh is best known now for his supernatural thriller novel The Beetle, which was published the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula, and was initially even more popular.