The story features a young Sherlock Holmes, and the hero we see here bears little resemblance to the great detective we are used to - he is not so confident in his conclusions and trusts strangers more. However, the features of the man who will go down in great literature are already visible in him, and not least thanks to the events outlined below - the case of Mr. James Phillimore, who, having returned home to get an umbrella, disappeared without a trace.