Around the World in 80 days - Summary

Around the World in 80 days was written during a time of war between France and Prussia. The story
begins at England. The story centers around an eccentric English gentleman and his French servant,
Passepartout. We are introduced to an English gentleman, Mr. Phileas Fogg, who regularly goes to the Reform
Club every evening. At one such visit to the club to play cards, he gets into a conversation with his fellow card
players as to whether it is possible to go around the world in eighty days. He believes that it is and is
challenged to complete the adventure. Fogg enters into a wager of 20,000 whereby he will circumnavigate the
globe and return to his starting point exactly 80 days from the starting date. The wager was between Mr. Fogg
and friends in the Reform Club, an organization of wealthy men. This is the beginning of the entire plot and
from then on we see how Fogg goes around the world and we witness the amazing adventures that he has
with his companions, he leaves London on October 2, 1872. He vows to return by December 21.

The main plot is based on Foggs travels, while other such plots merely support the central theme. Fix,
the detective follows Fogg all over. He's searching for a bank robber, and Fogg matches the description. He
believes that Fogg is the bank robber who has robbed a great sum from the bank of England. He puts
obstacles in Foggs path just so that he can arrest him whenever he gets the warrant from England. The
suspicion that Fogg might be a clever gentleman robber is the sub-theme of the book and the author makes
the reader also suspicious. Passepartout too wonders whether his master might be a robber though in his
heart he has ample trust in Foggs integrity. The plot moves ahead with Fogg striving through various obstacles
to reach London in time. He goes through Brindisi, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San
Francisco, New York and finally Liverpool. Fix arrests Fogg at Liverpool and this delays our hero. He diligently
planned the entire journey including rail time tables and financial budgeting. The travelers had many
adventures along the way. The team had to deal with bank robberies and in India they have to buy the
Elephant and travel on its back to catch the train. In India, they combated savages that were about to sacrifice
a woman. The travelers saved the woman and escaped with their lives. In the United States, the adventures
battled native American Indians that attacked their train. Passepartout was captured by the Indians during the
fight and Mr. Fogg was forced to delay his travels and give chase to the Indians with a troop of US cavalry at
his side. The chase was successful in saving Passepartout, but resulted in Mr. Fogg losing valuable time in his
journey. He was now likely to lose his wager. Even though Mr. Fogg and company were now significantly
behind schedule, he was not going to give up. The group desperately tried to move very quickly and slowly, but
surely, he made up lost time. After 81 days had passed, the travelers entered London. Mr. Fogg believed that
he had lost the wager when in reality he reached a full day earlier. As methodical and organized as Mr. Fogg
was, he did not take into account the fact that by traveling Eastward, he would actually gain an additional day.
While Mr. Fogg and Passepartout actually slept 81 times, only 80 days on the calendar in London had passed.
Mr. Fogg had won his wager of 20,000 and in the course of his travels, finds himself a worthy charming,
beautiful wife too.
 Fogg and Passepartout take the train to Suez, Egypt. And then they hop on a steamship heading for
Bombay; Fix boards soon after. Fogg offers the engineer a reward if the boat gets to Bombay early, and Fix
chats up Passepartout, trying to scope out Fogg. The boat docks two days early. Fogg and Passepartout get
on a train, but finds out the railroad line ends at Kholby, 50 miles short of Calcutta.

Fogg does what any sensible man would when $2.5 million is at stake. He buys an elephant and heads
toward Allahabad to get back on the train. On the way there, he sees a widow, Aouda, who is going to be
buried (alive) with her dead husband. To rescue her, Passepartout pretends to be her resurrected husband,
and the priests scatter. Aouda accompanies them to the station, where they finally get a train to Calcutta.

The three then try to board a ship heading to Hong Kong. They are arrested, but post bail and continue
their trip. Fix follows them to Hong Kong, where the trio finds out that Aouda's relative, with whom she was
planning to stay, has moved. So, she continues on with Fogg and Passepartout.

Fix tells Passepartout that Fogg is a criminal, but Passepartout doesn't believe him. Fix then drugs
Passepartout in an opium den so Passepartout, Fogg, and Aouda will miss their boat, but Passepartout
manages to make the ship to Yokohama.

Unfortunately, Fogg and Aouda do not. They take a boat to Shanghai and then a steamer to
Yokohama, where Fogg loses time looking for Passepartout. Passepartout has been working in a circus but
leaves the circus happily and joins Fogg and Aouda on a boat bound for San Francisco. Fix isn't far behind.

In California, they take a train heading to New York. It seems like they will never make the east coast:
the train is stopped by a broken bridge and a herd of bison. Then, they are attacked by Sioux warriors and
Passepartout is kidnapped. Fogg and some American soldiers rescue him, and the trio reaches Omaha, where
they get on another train.