The Signal Man

The adventure begins

At the beginning of the story, we meet Phileas Fogg, a rich man who lives in London and loves order and accuracy. He does everything at the same time every day. One day, he hires a new servant named Passepartout, who is looking for a quiet and peaceful life. As usual, Fogg goes to the Reform Club and plays cards with his friends. There, they talk about a big robbery at the Bank of England. During the conversation, Fogg says that traveling around the world in 80 days is possible because of modern transportation. His friends laugh at him and do not believe him. Fogg then makes a bet of £20,000 that he can travel around the world and return on time. After the bet, he goes back home and tells Passepartout that they will travel around the world together. They leave London on the same night to start their journey.

East to India

In this part of the story, Phileas Fogg and Passepartout travel by train to Italy and then by ship to India. After seven days, they stop in Suez. There, they are seen by Detective Fix, who thinks that Fogg is the man who stole money from the Bank of England. He decides to watch Fogg and travel with him to Bombay so he can arrest him later. During the journey, Fix becomes friendly with Passepartout. They arrive in Bombay two days early because the ship is very fast. In Bombay, Passepartout goes to buy clothes, but he enters a temple without taking off his shoes. The priests get angry, a fight starts, and Passepartout runs away. He reaches the train late, without shoes or a hat, and tells Fogg what happened. Fix hears the story and decides to continue following them with a new plan during their trip to Calcutta.

Saving Aouda 

In this part of the story, Phileas Fogg and Passepartout travel by train across India, but the journey stops because the railway line is not finished. Fogg decides to buy an elephant and continue the journey through the forest with a guide and a British officer named Sir Francis.On the way, they see a dangerous ritual called sati, where a young woman is going to be burned alive with the body of her dead husband. Fogg decides to save her, even though it is very risky. At the last moment, Passepartout pretends to be the dead man and scares the people. Then he carries the woman and runs away. They succeed in saving her and arrive in Allahabad. The woman thanks them, and her name is Aouda. Fogg offers to take her with them to Hong Kong. The group then continues their journey together to Calcutta, and Fogg does not arrive late.

The route to Singapore 

In this part of the story, Detective Fix tries to stop Phileas Fogg from finishing his journey because he still does not have the arrest papers. In Calcutta, he works with the temple priests to report Passepartout’s mistake. As a result, Fogg, Passepartout, and Aouda are arrested and taken to court. The judge orders Passepartout to stay in prison for 15 days and Fogg for 7 days. However, Fogg pays the bail immediately, so they do not go to prison and leave at once. They go straight to the port to catch the ship Rangoon going to Hong Kong. Fix follows them secretly and asks for the arrest papers to be sent there. During the journey, Passepartout tells Fix Aouda’s story and starts to doubt him, but he does not tell Fogg. The ship arrives in Singapore earlier than planned. Fogg and Aouda use the time to walk around the city, and the journey continues without delay.

Mr Fogg misses the boat

In this part of the story, the ship Rangoon sails toward Hong Kong, but a strong storm delays the journey. Fogg worries that he will miss the ship going to Japan. When they arrive in Hong Kong, Fogg discovers that Aouda’s uncle has left for Europe, so he decides that she will continue traveling with them. Fogg sends Passepartout to tell the ship Carnatic that they will get on board. However, Fix tricks Passepartout and keeps him busy talking. Passepartout thinks that Fogg knows the new departure time, so he gets on the ship alone. The next morning, Fogg discovers that the ship has left with Passepartout on it, and there is no other ship for a week. He quickly looks for a solution and hires a small boat called Tankadere to sail to Shanghai and then to Japan. Fix agrees to go with him, even though he does not want Fogg to leave Hong Kong.

A storm at sea

In this part of the story, Phileas Fogg changes his plan after missing the ship to Japan. He decides to sail in a small boat called Tankadere from Hong Kong to Shanghai to catch the ship General Grant before it leaves. During the journey, they face a strong storm and rough seas. This delays them and makes arriving on time almost impossible. Even so, Fogg stays calm and confident and continues the journey. At the last moment, they see the ship General Grant at sea. They send a signal for help, and the ship turns toward them. Fogg, Aouda, and Fix manage to get on board and continue their journey to Japan.

Together again in Japan

In this part of the story, Passepartout arrives in Japan alone and without money. He has to work in a circus and uses his old skills as an acrobat. During the show, he sees Phileas Fogg and Aouda in the audience. He loses his focus and the show fails, but Fogg pays the money and takes him with them. Fogg explains how he reached Japan through Shanghai. Then they all get on the ship General Grant going to America. During the journey, Passepartout meets Detective Fix and they argue. Later, Passepartout learns that Fix can no longer arrest Fogg outside the British San Francisco on time, and Fogg is still following his travel schedule.colonies, so they agree to work together to reach England as fast as possible. The ship arrives in San Francisco on time, and Fogg is still following his travel schedule.

By train from San Francisco

In this part of the story, Phileas Fogg, Aouda, and Passepartout arrive in San Francisco and get ready to travel by train to New York. Before leaving, they walk around the city. Passepartout suggests buying guns because he is afraid of attacks by Native Americans. Detective Fix joins them and pretends to be friendly. The train starts a long and dangerous journey across America. It faces strange delays, such as stopping because thousands of buffalo cross the tracks. Later, the train stops again because a bridge ahead is damaged. The driver tells the passengers that they must walk for many hours in the snow. Instead of walking, the driver decides to take a risk and cross the bridge at full speed. The train crosses the bridge at the last moment. Right after they pass, the bridge collapses completely, but the passengers continue their journey safely.

An attack in ‘the Wild West’

In this part of the story, the train carrying Phileas Fogg, Aouda, and Passepartout is attacked by the Sioux tribe while crossing the western part of America. The Native Americans start shooting and trying to climb onto the train. The passengers fight to defend themselves, and Aouda shows great courage by fighting bravely. The danger becomes worse when the driver is attacked and the train loses control. At this moment, Passepartout sacrifices himself. He crawls under the train cars and separates the engine from the rest of the train. The train stops near a military fort, and soldiers arrive, so the attackers run away. The passengers are safe, but they discover that Passepartout and three other men are missing. Aouda is very sad, and Fogg promises her that he will search for Passepartout and save him, no matter the cost.

The race to New York

In this part of the story, Phileas Fogg decides not to leave Passepartout behind. He goes with a group of soldiers to save him, even though it is dangerous. Fogg says that Passepartout saved everyone’s lives. The rescue is successful, and Fogg and Passepartout return safely. However, the train has already left, so Fogg is now late. To make up for the lost time, they travel very fast using a snow sledge, then take several trains through Omaha and Chicago until they reach New York. Despite all this effort, they arrive a little late and discover that the ship going to England has already left. Everyone feels tired and disappointed, and they believe that the dream of finishing the journey in 80 days is lost.

The race to Britain

In this part of the story, Phileas Fogg tries to reach Britain on time after missing the ship from New York. He finds a ship called Henrietta going to France, and the captain agrees to take him for a large amount of money. During the journey, Fogg takes control of the ship and changes its direction toward England. When the coal runs out, he is forced to burn the wooden parts of the ship until they reach Ireland. Fogg and his companions then travel very fast by train and ship and arrive in Liverpool. Fogg now has only a few hours left to reach London. At that moment, Detective Fix arrests him, believing that Fogg is the thief who stole from the Bank of England. Fogg is put in prison, and everyone thinks that everything is over. After a short time, Fix returns and admits his mistake. The real thief has been caught, and Fogg is released. However, Fogg realizes that he has lost valuable time and is now in the wrong city.

All’s well that ends well

At the end of the story, Phileas Fogg believes he has lost the bet because he arrives in London five minutes late. He returns home feeling sad and thinks he has lost his money and everything else. Later, Aouda admits that she loves him and asks him to marry her. He happily agrees. While preparing for the wedding, Passepartout discovers that Fogg made a mistake in counting the days. Because they traveled east, they gained one extra day. Fogg understands the truth at once and rushes to the Reform Club. He arrives just seconds before the deadline. Fogg wins the bet and gets the money. However, the most important thing he wins is not the money, but love and marriage to Aouda. The story ends happily.