Benjamin and Ruth are left orphans in London after the death of their mother, a Jewess who had previously converted to Christianity. The orphans become destitute and Ben eventually decides to emigrate to America. Ruth goes to live with her Aunt Miriam, a Christian, and Ben (after being falsely imprisoned and then released), goes to live with his Aunt Sarah, a practising Jew. Ruth's brother Isaac had left their mother in anger after her converson to Christianity, and Chapter IV entitled 'Bound for Australia', follows Isaac's journey to Melbourne and his subsequent conversion to Christianity.

The work is essentially proselytising and the story serves merely as a vehicle for this - other works by the same author (listed in the back of this volume) include The Jewish Converts, and Leah Wolfe, the Converted Jewess.