The story is loosely (very loosely) based on Jules Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,which means they lifted the parts they liked and then ran off in a completely different direction with them.(On the other hand,there are some tantilizing clues that they originally planned to stick more closely to Verne's story.See the "lost" Nadia section below.) Set in 1889,the story focuses on Nadia,a 14 year circus acrobat and orphan with a mysterious past.When gem thieves appear to steal the Blue Water,a gem which is her one possession that may be a clue to her origin,she is rescued at the 1889 World Exposition in Paris by Jean.Jean is a 14 year old inventive genius whose inventions don't always work as well as he planned.The two of them lead the thieves on a chase that eventually lands them in the Atlantic Ocean where they are picked up by Captain Nemo and the Nautilus.The series twists and turns from there as Nadia (and we) discover more about the Blue Water,the real bad guys who are after it,and why the fate of the entire planet may ultimately depend on who has the Blue Water. The story is loosely (very loosely) based on Jules Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,which means they lifted the parts they liked and then ran off in a completely different direction with them.(On the other hand,there are some tantilizing clues that they originally planned to stick more closely to Verne's story.See the "lost" Nadia section below.) Set in 1889,the story focuses on Nadia,a 14 year circus acrobat and orphan with a mysterious past.When gem thieves appear to steal the Blue Water,a gem which is her one possession that may be a clue to her origin,she is rescued at the 1889 World Exposition in Paris by Jean.Jean is a 14 year old inventive genius whose inventions don't always work as well as he planned.The two of them lead the thieves on a chase that eventually lands them in the Atlantic Ocean where they are picked up by Captain Nemo and the Nautilus.The series twists and turns from there as Nadia (and we) discover more about the Blue Water,the real bad guys who are after it,and why the fate of the entire planet may ultimately depend on who has the Blue Water.