Immaculate, charming, fearless wanderer, Jim Maitland, has a peculiar code of morals and an unforgettable character. Our enthusiastic narrator, Leyton, meets the legendary Maitland on the Island of Tampico - a flawless jewel in a sapphire sea, with more vice than the slums of a city - and leaps at the chance to accompany this charismatic man on his spontaneous travels.