Five young men having finished their course at college, meet in the home of Thomas Wynn to celebrate their emancipation from college work and to speed as parting guests, three of their number who are to depart at once for various foreign points. It is proposed that they shall again meet at the home of Wynn in New York, five years from that date, at 9 o'clock in the evening, if they are alive. The years pass, and the appointed day is at hand. Only three out of the five arrive on time, but a letter is received from a fourth who is dying from a bullet wound in a hospital at Bombay. He sends his regrets that misfortune has laid him low so that he cannot be present. The three friends discuss their adventures during the five years, and it is nearly midnight, when they drink a toast to John Gaunt, the fifth man, "wherever he may be.'" Just as they are drinking this toast, the door is thrown open and into the room staggers an uncouth figure with long, unkempt hair and beard, dressed in tattered clothing, who dramatically announces himself to be the fifth man, John Gaunt. It is difficult for them to believe that it is he, but when they recognize him they receive him with expressions of joy and friendship and demand that he shall relate his adventures. John Gaunt then tells the following thrilling tale: For three years he had buried himself in the wilds of Central America in search of gold. One day he wandered away from the camp and became lost in the jungle. After suffering many days of hardship and becoming exhausted for lack of food, he is found by a mad scientist, who has become crazy and degenerated into a mad beast and who is accompanied by a negro who is similarly afflicted. They live in a small hut filled with curios and stuffed animals and birds. The scientist expresses a delight at the discovery of John Gaunt and gravely announces that he is a most valuable and most unique specimen which he will add to his collection. Gaunt does not understand this until the madman and his crazy companion lead him to the rear of the hut, where stands a row of strongly constructed, heavy, wooden cages. In one of the cages is a fierce mountain lion, and in another a ferocious jaguar. Then to his horror and astonishment, he discovers in the next cage a beautiful American girl, clothed in the skins of wild animals, yet so beautiful and lovely that he is almost paralyzed at the sight. He learns that she was the daughter of a sea captain whose vessel had been wrecked on the coast, and she alone out of the entire crew was saved. The mad scientist had incarcerated her in this living tomb, and she had been there for two years. At first Gaunt was given a certain amount of liberty by the mad scientist, and together with the crazy negro slept in the hut. One night Gaunt followed the insane scientist to a spot where he had concealed a considerable treasure in gold coin hidden in the ground. Gaunt saw him pour the clinking coins through his fingers like a miser, but he crawled back into the hut before the scientist was aware of his presence. Then he was placed in a cage containing the mountain lion, where he had a hand to hand battle for life and succeeded in killing the frightful beast with his bare hands. Two years pass by, and John Gaunt has learned to love the beautiful young captive, who is his companion in misery. Joan Darey, for that is her name, reciprocates the great love which pours from his heart, and they plan to escape. They manage to break from the cage and make their way into the fastness of the jungle, but they are pursued, captured and brought back. After another period of imprisonment, John Gaunt discovers to his great joy that one of the posts in the cage, which confines him, has become weakened by the work of insects. In his weakness he is unable to free Joan from her cage, and they determine that the best thing to do is for him to seek assistance from the nearest settlement. So John Gaunt departs towards the seacoast, leaving Joan a prisoner in the wooden cage. He reaches the seaport, where his story is received with disbelief. People think he is crazy. He secures passage on a tramp steamer and arrives in New York City just in time to keep his appointment. "Do you believe me crazy?" he asks of his friends in pitiful tones. They declare that they believe every word he has stated, and Thomas Wynn, without hesitancy, prepares immediately an order for the captain of his private yacht to make ready within twenty-four hours for a voyage to Central America. They are going to rescue Joan from her imprisonment in the jungle. The voyage passes rapidly and without incident. The party of rescuers take up the back trail of John Gaunt and arrive finally at the hut of the madman and his assistant. They are just in time. The madman and his negro helper have had a mortal combat in which both are slain. Joan has been without food and water and is almost exhausted. Tenderly, they free her from her cage, and depart immediately for the seacoast, not forgetting, however, to dig up the golden treasure which the mad scientist had concealed. The great love which John bore for Joan, and which she reciprocated fully, made them happily oblivious of everything. Thomas Wynn and the other two friends congratulate themselves on the rescue of the beautiful prisoner and the helping of John Gaunt after his years of suffering and wanderings into a comfortable fortune, which would make Joan and himself independent for life.