The stories in this collection move from Malaya to America and England, and include some of Maugham's most famous tales: 'Flotsam and Jetsam', the story of an old woman trapped for years in a loveless marriage, 'The Man with the Scar' and 'The Vessel of Wrath', a tale of the unexpected love that grows between a devout missionary nurse and a drunken reprobate.