End of the XIX century. Son of the successful Petersburg advocate Leonid Фирсанов wants to settle down in life and not especially aspires to the gambles, but unexpectedly for itself sets forth to Africa as a correspondent of newspaper "Невский express", to invent notes about Англо-бурской war. Seeing personally, as this war is conducted and as prove on her the Russian volunteers, Фирсанов becomes one of them, however shortly before completion of battle actions success turns away from a recent journalist: he is taken prisoner to the englishmen. Managing to hurry, Leonid together with a new comrade, Франсуа, experiences all new and new adventures, and often child's fascination helps to get out from a next scrape is juggling and tricks in style of the American magician Гудини. With their help a "juggler" hopes to return on Motherland.