It is the turn of the previous century, and American automakers are worried about how to sell their new product to an uneducated public. Professional daredevil and all-around good guy The Great Leslie convinces the automakers that a race from New York to Paris (westwardacross America, the Bering Strait and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. However, Leslie's arch-rival, the evil Professor Fate, vows to beat Leslie to the finish line in a car of his own invention.