A young and impoverished Barney Barnato emigrated from England to South Africa in 1870. There he first works at a circus and falls in love with and later marries Fanny. The ambitious Barnato uses his business acumen to establish himself within the rough business world of diamond mining and trading in Kimberly. Often crossing paths with the equally ambitious Cecil Rhodes. During this time he becomes one of the richest men in the British Empire. He has to defend himself and his fortune from a number of competitors. When Barnato opposes Rhodes (now Prime Minister of the Cape Colony) in his efforts to start a war with the Boer Republics Barnato becomes the victim of a plot involving one of his nephews. The series ends with Barnato being thrown overboard a cruise ship and his death being portrayed to the public as a suicide.