Lionel Sedgwick was left on the steps of a London orphanage. At the age of fourteen, he was put to work as a cabin boy on a sailing ship going to South Africa to pick up raw diamonds. On one trip there is a shipwreck, and only Lionel survives. Later, he joins with ather sailor and goes to Cuba to buy cigars. Along the way they also go to Jamaica for their rum. Lionel finally decides to settle down in Thirsk, a Yorkshire village where he builds a mansion and falls in love with the sheriff's daughter. The life of Lionel Sedgwick is a fascinating tale filled with romance and adventure.