Jefferson Turck, a young twenty-second-century naval officer from the Pan-American Federation, accidentally drifts his disabled aero-submarine past the forbidden thirty-degree longitude into the unknown expanse of the Eastern Hemisphere. Stranded without support, Turck and his loyal crew navigate the historic English Channel only to find ancient ports reduced to overgrown wilderness and infested with African and Asiatic wild beasts that escaped from zoos during the cataclysm of the Great War. Turck explores the ruined remnants of England and encounters primitive tribes of descendants who have forgotten civilization, waging petty tribal wars while struggling against lions and tigers. After rescuing a young woman named Victory, the rightful queen of Great Britain, Turck journeys through the ruined skeleton of London.
Their survival demands continuous combat against wild beasts and rival tribal leaders like Buckingham. Eventually captured by the invading cavalry of the Abyssinian Empire, which has conquered much of Europe, Turck witnesses the clash between African and Chinese imperial forces. Through perseverance, Turck navigates these conflicts, rescues Victory from the clutches of the Abyssinian emperor, and eventually secures a formal reconciliation with the Pan-American government. The narrative concludes with Turck preparing to return to Europe with his bride and the necessary power to help regenerate the forgotten continent.
