John Briggs, an Englishman employed as a chauffeur to a member of the Russian nobility, is forced to escape Russia during the Bolshevik revolution. He comes across the dead body of a Russian officer identified as Alexis Triona and finds a diary on the body that details his exciting adventures among the Bolsheviks. Upon his return to England, Briggs continues to work as a chauffeur while trying to become a writer, but his manuscripts are met with rejections from every publisher. He decides to use some of the stories he found in Triona's diary. This time publishers are much more receptive, and "his" stories become best-sellers. To keep up the charade, he passes himself off as the real Triona. Complications ensue.