The story begins when a young man named John Strock, a member of the Weldon Institute, a scientific society, is informed about the arrival of an unknown family in San Francisco. This family consists of a man, a woman, and two children, and they wear masks to hide their identity. No one knows who they are or where they come from.

John Strock becomes intrigued by this mystery and decides to investigate to uncover the identity of this nameless family. As he delves into his investigation, he discovers that the family is involved in a plot to sabotage the Transcontinental, a luxury train that crosses the United States.

The novel takes place mainly aboard the Transcontinental, where Strock and his companions try to thwart the evil plans of the family without a name. The plot unfolds in a context of suspense, intrigue, and mystery, with unexpected twists.

The story concludes with the resolution of the mystery surrounding the nameless family and the revelation of their true identity, as well as the unraveling of the railway plot. The novel explores themes of mystery, courage, and adventure, which are typical of Jules Verne's work.

• 1889, USA, New York: J.W. Lovell Co, Pub date 1889; first United States edition, as A Family Without a Name
• 1889, USA, New York: Munro, Pub date 1889; as A Family Without a Name
• 1890, UK, London: Sampson Low, Pub date 1890; first UK edition, as A Family Without a Name
• 1963, UK, London: Arco, Pub date 1963; abridged and edited by I.O. Evans in 2 volumes as Leader of the Resistance and Into the Abyss
• 1982, Canada, Toronto: NC Press ISBN 0-919601-86-3, Pub date 1982; new translation by Edward Baxter

The 1978 edition, published at the French publishing house of the Union générale d'éditions, displayed upon the cover the mention "Pour un Québec libre" (For a Free Quebec). This was a decade after the Vive le Québec libre speech of French President Charles de Gaulle, two years after the first election of a contemporary independence party in Quebec, the Parti Québécois, and two years before their promised referendum on independence occurred in 1980. Lévesque had also made an important state visit to France a year before.

• Pictures of various elaborate book covers of the novel.