The plot is set in motion when a man called Nathan Garrideb writes to the private detective Sherlock Holmes to ask for assistance in finding another man whose surname is also Garrideb. Nathan Garrideb has been approached by an American called John Garrideb. According to John Garrideb, both men stand to inherit a third of some land in Kansas worth fifteen million dollars. They can only claim this property, however, if they can find another man with the surname Garrideb who will inherit the other third. When Sherlock Holmes meets John Garrideb, the detective soon realizes that the entire story about property in Kansas is a lie.