Phileas Fogg is a self-retired secret service agent whose troubled psyche is rife with dark corners and unexpected traps.

His father, Sir Boniface Fogg was head of British Intelligence, and raised his two sons, Phileas and his younger brother, Erasmus, to follow in his footsteps. It was his hope that they would serve the British Empire as agents of the Secret Service. However, during a botched mission, Erasmus was killed, and Phileas, unable to save his brother, returned home a changed man.

Filled with guilt over his brother's death, and questioning the ideals he had once held sacred, Phileas quarreled with his father, rejecting the older man and everything for which he stood. Phileas left the Secret Service and lost himself in a meaningless life of leisure; drinking, traveling and gambling, frequently risking his fortune on a turn of a card or the toss of the dice.

Outwardly, Fogg appears the quintessential Victorian gentleman, fashionable, charming and nonchalant. He keeps his self-doubt and remorse well hidden from prying eyes. However, those close to him recognize the darkness in his soul and do what they can relieve his pain and control his reckless behavior.

Fortunately, fate too conspires to steer Fogg away from self-destruction by dropping the excitable, young Jules Verne into his life. Idealistic, naïve and trusting, Verne's approach to life is in direct contrast to that of the older, wiser and more cynical Fogg. Fogg feels the need to protect Verne from his own ingenuousness, and the young man's tendency to throw himself into one dangerous situation after another makes this a full time occupation.

Furthermore, as a secret agent, Rebecca Fogg quite often asks her cousin for assistance and use of the Aurora, Fogg's airship. Thus, despite all attempts to the contrary, Fogg frequently finds himself calling upon his past experience and expertise in espionage as he is drawn into matters of international intrigue. What greater distraction than battling the forces of evil around the world?

Even his valet, Passepartout, serves to divert Fogg from his unhappiness by providing him with flashes of spontaneity, moments of humor, and when necessary, a good glass of claret.

With the assistance of his fellow adventurers, Fogg begins to realize that life still does have something to offer. His transformation is slow, and there are many setbacks as Fogg faces chilling perils, but by serving his Queen and protecting those close to him, Phileas Fogg is at last finding a measure of peace.