Phileas Fogg is a man of precision, respectability, and supreme orderliness. He is an upstanding member and model of British high society, though this doesn’t stop others from becoming suspicious of him. His reticence allows others space to conjure ideas of him as an eccentric. Fogg has a model life of luxury, which gives him the time and leisure to read up on current events and developments in modern technology. This knowledge sets Fogg up to make an incredible bet when members of his Reform Club challenge his assumption that the world is no longer “a small place.” He bets he can travel around the world in eighty days and puts down 20,000 pounds to back up the claim, a move that proves he is a risk-taker willing to put his money where his mouth is.

Fogg and his newly hired servant, Passepartout, set off to prove Fogg’s claim. Fogg thinks he has the bet completely under control as he’s planned for delays, weather disasters, and other potential mishaps. The only thing Fogg hasn’t considered is Detective Fix, a London police officer who’s convinced that Fogg is the robber behind the recent theft at the Bank of England. It’s a case of mistaken identity, based loosely on the description of the robber as wearing gentleman’s clothes, the coincidental timing of Fogg’s departure, and Fogg’s mysterious air. Fix starts a rumor that Fogg is the robber and chases after him while waiting for an arrest warrant to come through. Fix himself becomes victim to his own gossip as he finds over the course of the following weeks that Fogg is actually a generous man who repeatedly helps Fix, actions that cause Fix to ponder whether Fogg might not be the robber after all.

Fix follows Fogg across India, Hong Kong, Japan, and America, and Fix gets involved in many harrowing and dangerous situations with Fogg. Both men are proven to be indomitable forces, willing to do anything to reach their goals. In this way, Fix and Fogg are mirror images of one another. While Fix is motivated by dualistic goals of serving his duty and wanting to claim some of the stolen money as reward, Fogg’s goals are mostly pure; he just wants to win his bet. Passepartout, for all his virtues as a loyal servant, proves to be a hindrance to Fogg when, due to his chatty and engaging nature, he befriends Fix. Ultimately, Passepartout proves his worth by risking his life on several occasions to save Fogg and carry out Fogg’s wishes.

For all his brave acts to get to London in time, Fogg believes he fails. He lands in London past the deadline, and the bet is lost. Aouda, the woman Fogg saved in India, has grown to love Fogg. Over the course of the story, Aouda develops as a character as well, as she transforms from a quiet, helpless woman in the background into a brave, adventurous, and clever travel companion. She becomes so bold, in fact, that she asks Fogg to marry her. Fogg’s daring venture has paid off after all, as he realizes that he also loves Aouda and that what he has lost in money, he has gained in emotional connection. Such an attitude reveals Fogg’s tremendous personal growth. The man once obsessed with time, keeping to a schedule, and winning the bet now feels satisfied emerging from his adventure with nothing but knowledge and love as his gains.

Only after readers observe the reformed Fogg do they learn of events that have already happened, events that signify a change of fortune for Fogg. In a flashback scene, readers learn how Passepartout discovers that it is a day earlier than he and Fogg believed, which means Fogg won the bet after all. Passepartout rushes to tell Fogg the news, and Fogg has minutes to spare to get to the Reform Club to claim his win. Passepartout’s stubborn nature in refusing to reset his watch according to local time as they traveled around the world turns out to be the ultimate boon and stroke of luck. Fogg emerges a true hero, having gained from taking a risk and venturing out into the unknown, all while remaining a generous and loyal gentleman. While a changed man in some ways, Fogg holds fast to his values on time and attention, however, as he makes Passepartout use money from the reward Fogg gives him to pay for the gas bill Passepartout accrued when he forgot to shut off the gas burner in Fogg’s home at the very beginning of the story. The ultimate prize at the end of the story, however, reveals itself to be true human connection as Fogg, Passepartout, and Aouda relax into their new life of friendship and love in Fogg’s London home.