In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the members of The Baltimore Gun Club find themselves in a dilemma--without a war, there is no demand for their innovative gun designs. Eager for a new challenge, the club's President Barbicane sets an ambitious goal: to build the largest gun in the world, powerful enough to shoot a man to the moon.

Such a gun has never been attempted, so the club faces a myriad of challenges including what to make it from, where to build it, when to shoot it, and--most importantly--how to ensure that a passenger inside the gun's projectile can survive the trip.

In From Earth to the Moon, the members of the gun club undertake the engineering challenge, and Around the Moon follows the three voyagers on their journey to the moon and back.