Summary
In an audacious narrative exploring the morally ambiguous frontier of early 20th-century enterprise, the intrepid adventurer Mortimer Gregg stumbles upon the pristine Horse Island amidst a tropical expedition. His subsequent return to the concrete canyons of New York precipitates a partnership with the ostensibly respectable Christopher Beaumont, ostensibly to harness the island's latent resources. However, the veneer of legitimate development soon cracks, as a pre-mortem confession from Gregg to his assistant manager, David Smith, unveils the true nefarious intent behind the Tropical Products Company: a meticulously crafted scheme designed for the wholesale fleecing of unsuspecting stockholders. David, a paragon of unwavering integrity and a staunch believer in the island's genuine potential, steadfastly refuses to countenance the manipulation of financial records. His unyielding rectitude incenses Beaumont, who travels to the remote island to deliver a stark ultimatum. When David learns his principled honesty is grounds for dismissal, he defiantly prevents Beaumont and his daughter, Christabel, from departing. A tempestuous tropical storm subsequently strands David and Christabel together in a secluded cave, where the crucible of shared adversity unexpectedly forges a profound romantic bond, culminating serendipitously in the discovery of a long-lost pirate's hoard. Following the Beaumonts' eventual return to the metropolis, David astutely leverages this newfound treasure, investing it strategically into Tropical Products stock under Christabel's name. This decisive maneuver finally compels the recalcitrant Beaumont to relinquish his fraudulent machinations, agreeing to steer the company on an honest course, now with his future son-in-law as his principled partner, transforming a saga of avarice into an unexpected triumph of honor and love.
Synopsis
On a treasure hunt in the tropics, adventurer Mortimer Gregg discovers beautiful Horse Island, and upon his return to New York, forms a partnership with Christopher Beaumont, allegedly to develop the island's resources. Just before his death, however, Gregg reveals to his assistant manager, David Smith, that the Tropical Products Company was formed for the sole purpose of swindling the stockholders. A highly principled man who believes in the island's potential, David refuses to tamper with the company's financial reports, which so angers Beaumont that he visits Horse Island to deliver David an ultimatum. When the young man learns that he is about to be fired for his persistent honesty, he refuses to allow Beaumont and his daughter Christabel to leave the island. Caught in a tropical storm one afternoon, David and Christabel take refuge in a cave, where they fall in love and, incidentally, uncover a store of pirates' gold. After the Beaumonts have departed for New York, David invests the treasure in Tropical Products stock under Christabel's name, whereupon old Beaumont, finally beaten, agrees to run the company honestly as the partner of his future son-in-law.
