Willy Fog hires Rigodon, a former circus performer, to replace the butler he dismissed the previous day and, unknowingly, hires Rigodon's friend, Tico, at the same time. Later, Fog tells his fellows at London's Reform Club that he has read an article which suggests one can travel around the world in eighty days. To prove to his skeptical colleagues that this is possible, he wagers half his £40,000 fortune that he can make the journey.
