Written in collaboration in 1922 by the author of Felifax, this five-volume saga (of which this is the first), purporting to chronicle the early years of the 21st century, takes place in a quasi-utopia-like Earth, where war no longer exists, poverty has been banished, men no longer consume meat, and, thanks to the genius of master scientist Oronius, humanity has mastered natural forces. However, there exists a snake in this garden of Eden: Oronius' former colleague Otto Hentzen, a mad scientist who has allied himself with the beautiful, deadly enchantress Yogha. From their impregnable citadel located atop Mount Everest, they wish to crush the world and rule it. Will Oronius' pupil, Jean Chapuis, his fiancée Cyprienne, Oronius' own daughter, ably assisted by his mechanic Laridon, her maid Turlurette, and their African manservant Julep, prove able to thwart the evil duo's diabolical schemes?