Ray and Bertie, two young Anglo-Russian brothers living in Moscow, are 'thrown on the world' when their parents are arrested and banished for a crime which they did not commit. They are adopted by a wealthy London tea merchant who, believing in the educational value of foreign travel, sends them abroad, in the company of a tutor, to complete their education - and thus they are 'thrown on the world' a second time. Their adventures in Europe - which include encounters with an avalanche in the Alps and brigands in Greece - lead ultimately to their being reunited with their parents, whose innocence is subsequently re-established.