Norfolk, England, 1770. The nephew of an innkeeper and the son of a reverend maintain a very close friendship until, after living a great adventure, they must separate their paths. The former will head his footsteps to London and bound his destiny to Lloyd's, a thriving insurance company; the latter will eventually become one of the greatest heroes in the history of the British Empire.

When a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury of being a home-wrecker, and she files a multi-million-dollar libel lawsuit, the publication's frazzled head editor, Warren Haggerty, must find a way to turn the tables on her. Soon Haggerty's harried fiancée, Gladys Benton, and his dashing friend Bill Chandler are in on a scheme that aims to discredit Connie, with amusing and unexpected results.

In mid-nineteenth century England the medical establishment does not recognize the value of skilled nurses, cleanliness, nutrition and kindness. Florence Nightingale's heroic measures slowly changes all of this.

A young orphan girl, courted by an unpleasant older suitor who has a hold over her adoptive mother, falls in love with Fairfax, a young stranger at a party. A group of bootleggers try to get away with the loot stashed previously within Fairfax's mansion; Mysterious faces peer into the windows and shadowy figures stalk the hall. One of the bootleggers is killed and the young stranger becomes the prime suspect.

A rich girl's fiancé poses as a chauffeur to stop her eloping with a major.

A desperate, but highly respectable schoolmaster collapses at Holmes' door. His prize pupil, the son of a wealthy duke, has vanished, seemingly without a trace. And, why is Holmes getting such poor cooperation in his investigation?