The novel is told from the point of view of a man called George Ponderevo, who decides to tell his life story from the very beginning. He begins by describing his childhood in a Bladesover house, a noble English house run by three posh and strict women. His mother was a servant but found a higher position in society, nevertheless, the scrutiny still persisted. George describes his time there and his youthful love story with the daughter of one of the nobles called Beatrice.
An event involving Beatrice and her brother causes George to be unjustly banished from Bladesover. He falls into the hands of his peculiar uncle Edward and aunt at Wimblehurst. He begins to study and pursue Latin, while his uncle is constantly talking about ways to make money. This leads to his uncle investing his entire fortune and the savings of George’s mother for his education. His uncle and aunt leave Wimblehurst and George at the mercy of the buyer of their small shop and home.
George then goes on to describe his college years, his pursuit of science, and the beginnings of his contemplative thoughts on life. He falls in love with a girl called Marion. He desires to marry her, but she refuses to because of his poor financial standing. Right at this time, George’s uncle Edward falls back into his life with an idea of a healing elixir called Tono-Bungay. It is basically a mix of poor ingredients that don’t do anything, but Edward is convinced that he can make a fortune with proper advertising.
George ends up marrying Marion and dedicates many years to Tono-Bungay, which became a huge success, resulting in branching out in various directions. Edward rises to the scene of the rich and the noble with his inventions while pulling George with him.
After many years of unhappiness with Marion, the two divorce, and George starts seeing the wretchedness of the whole Tono-Bungay business. It eventually collapses and Edward is left in despair and debt. To help save him, reluctant George tries to dig up a radioactive substance in Africa, the existence of which he became aware of a long time ago, but fails in this mission. In a final attempt to help his uncle, he tries to aid his escape from England in a makeshift aircraft, but Edward falls ill and dies on the way. After his uncle’s death, George becomes a specialized engineer, selling dangerous inventions.
