The outside world proves very different from the small town life he grew up in and he soon finds his money gone and no friends to look after him.

He concludes the world is a cold and unfeeling place, and meditates on the wrongs of the people. He goes from one adventure to another, getting into considerable trouble, and extricating himself only to start anew on another track. His final adventure is among the socialists.

Upton Sinclair was a prolific novelist, producing over ninety books in many genres. His book The Jungle, depicting conditions in the Chicago meat-packing industry was a national sensation, and led to the eventual creation of the Food and Drug Administration. Sinclair was an ardent Socialist and ran for Congress on a socialist platform.