Chicago's 1892 World's Columbian Exposition provides an exotic setting for this detective novel, featuring a set of daring jewel thieves, counterfeiters and kidnappers who take advantage of the fair's throngs to work their nefarious deeds.
Carl Masters, the narrator, is a detective sent to ferret out the criminals. Along with tracking the evil-doers, he admires the fair's wonders and befriends several fair goers who have been innocently drawn into the snares of the plotters.