After John Cuddlestone, an officer in the Queen's regiment, is accused by his brother Andrew of cheating at cards, he leaves England in humiliation. In India, he marries a Hindu woman, but shortly after their son is born, John is killed in a tiger hunt. Young Lorin is placed in the care of Buddhist priests, and on his twenty-first birthday, he is released from the temple and given his father's papers. Learning of John's disgrace, Lorin is filled with the desire for revenge and immediately sets out for England. Nan, a girl whom he saved from slavery, resolves to follow the man she loves and steals the sacred eye of Buddha, a precious gem, to pay for her passage. In England, Lorin earns renown in society circles as a swami. One of his clients is Andrew's ward, Lady Elsie Drillingcourt, whose fortune Andrew is rapidly squandering. Lorin catches his uncle cheating at cards, and when the old man realizes the swami's identity, he dies of shock.