The book, quite a long one, is concerned with the adventures of a boy, Walter Heathfield, and of his sister Emily. They appear on the scene in chapter one, in rather a dramatic fashion, as they are rescued from a sinking ship, along with their dying father, moments before the ship finally vanishes. On reaching London their relations are traced, but none appear at all interested in them, except for Uncle Tom, who has but little money, and who unfortunately dies before the chapter is done, of a horse-riding accident. As a result the ship's captain and his family decide to look after them. The captain has a daughter, Grace, and a kindly wife. He asks them all to accompany him on the ship's next voyage, which is to the eastern seas. There is a passenger, a Mr. Nicholas Hooker, who is a naturalist, and who of course delivers himself of numerous speeches describing the animals and plants they see during the trip. They have numerous adventures, including of course (as you would expect in a Kingston novel) the loss of the ship. Walter keeps a journal, though at times Emily has to write it for him. When they finally get back to Old England, the old relative, Lord Heatherly, who had refused to help them, dies, and it turns out Walter is his heir. So the fortunes of Walter and Emily are very much changed.
