Set on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, the plot follows William Legrand, who was recently bitten by a gold-colored bug. His servant Jupiter fears Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an unnamed narrator who agrees to visit his old friend. Legrand pulls the other two into an adventure after deciphering a secret message that will lead to a buried treasure.

Edgar Allan Poe is also famous for such works as ''The Raven'', "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Gold-Bug", "The Black Cat", "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", "Hop-Frog" and many more.