The Gunsmith is in St. Louis, reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, when he sees in the newspaper that Jules Verne will be speaking at a local bookshop. Anxious to meet the author of so many odd, adventurous books, he attends. He meets Verne, and has his book signed, but Verne does not know who he is until the book shop owner shows the Frenchman some dime novels. At that point Verne becomes excited. He tells Clint that he wants to see the American West, and who better to show it to him? While trying to decide if he wants to do this, Clint is going to Hannibal, MO—40 miles North—to see his friend Sam Clemens—also known as Mark Twain. He takes Verne with him, and the two famous writers hit it off. Clint then decides he might as well take Verne, West—rather than let the Frenchman wander around by himself. But on a train from St. Louis to Des Moines, IA, Verne is kidnapped, and now Clint must do everything he can to rescue the author and avoid an international incident by having France’s favorite writer killed in the United States.