Summaries

Synopsis

The opening titles appear, superimposed, over footage of a small, two-engine plane flying through hazy skies. Inside the cockpit a handsome, dark-haired man in his mid-thirties (Jeff Richards) sits in the passenger seat, looking anxiously at a map. He asks the pilot: "Where do you think we are, Joe?"

"In trouble," replies the pilot, a good-looking, fair-haired man in his late twenties (John Smith). "That typhoon last night really blew us off course."

The plane's starboard engine suddenly conks out but the dark-haired passenger points to a spot of land on the horizon. "That's an island," Joe agrees. "Let's check it out."

As they fly toward the island, which shows no sign of habitation, Joe reports a loss of radio contact but he and his passenger still hear a man's voice coming through the air with a warning: "Do not land here. It will mean your certain destruction." Puzzled but undeterred, Joe continues heading for the island. A second warning is heard: "Keep away," says the disembodied voice. "You must not land here." Joe, however, manages to put his plane down on one of the island's sandy beaches. "See, I told you there was nothing to worry about," he tells his nervous passenger. The two men emerge from the plane, secretly observed by a tall, distinguished, gray-haired man (Alan Napier) lurking behind a tree. Joe's passenger suggests they discover the source of that mysterious voice so Joe calls out a "Hello there!" The gray-haired man now comes into the open and approaches them. "I warned you not to land here," he admonishes.

Joe's passenger explains the necessity of their landing and Joe asks the old man how he projected his voice through the air. "I'm not without resources," snaps the old man who then asks how long it'll take to repair their plane. Joe testily replies he doesn't know yet and goes over to check the plane's engines.

Joe's passenger now introduces himself to the old man as "Mark Bradley." "The radio commentator," says the old man who explains that he listens to Mark's broadcasts on short-wave and that he knows Mark is flying to a news conference in Melbourne. He then says he can be addressed as "Mr. Paul." Mark asks if he's on vacation and Mr. Paul replies he lives on this island in an attempt to get away from civilization -- an attempt which had been successful up till now.

Two young women observe this exchange from a discreet distance. A third young woman runs up behind them, knocking one to the ground. This mishap attracts the attention of Joe who rushes over and helps the knocked-over woman to her feet. He's quickly joined by Mark and Mr. Paul. "I told you girls to stay in the shelter," complains Mr. Paul. "We just wanted to see them, Father," protests the knocked-over woman, an elegant beauty with light-brown hair (June Blair). Like the other women she wears a low-cut tunic, Grecian in style, which comes only halfway to her knees.

Mark introduces himself and his pilot, Joe Walker. The beauty with the light-brown hair, explaining that their father named them after planets, introduces herself as Mercuria and her sisters are Venus, a striking blonde (Venetia Stevenson), and Urana, the bright-eyed baby of the family (Diane Jergens). "I'm not a baby," insists Urana. "I'm sixteen." Urana then says to the two visitors: "You're much prettier than the men we've seen in books."

Mr. Paul breaks up this conversation. The entire group then walks over to inspect the plane. Joe soon reports the plane suffers from a busted fuel pump and clogged gas lines but he thinks he can fix these problems in three days. Mr. Paul says repairs must be completed in two days and though he can't offer them lodging, his visitors are welcome to sleep on the beach. Prodded by his daughters, Mr. Paul then invites Mark and Joe to a meal and the group proceeds to walk inland toward Mr. Paul's shelter.

Mark and Joe are impressed by the cave-like shelter which is accessed through a door operated by an electronic eye and which is large, comfortable, and well-lit. "Where do you get your power?" Mark asks. "A solar furnace," answers Mr. Paul. Urana points to bookcases containing such volumes as "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" and "Little Women." Venus shows off the short-wave radio on which they listen to Mark's weekly broadcasts. This prompts Mark to suggest the short-wave could be used to send a message but Mr. Paul says the set has no transmitter. Then, after Mercuria and Venus go off to the kitchen and after Joe and Urana leave to gather eggs from a chicken-coop, Mr. Paul has a conversation with Mark. "I suppose you do deserve some sort of explanation," begins the old man. "You'd like to know why I'm here, alone with my daughters." The old man goes on to tell how he worked on the atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima fifteen years ago. Disillusioned, (he thought the bomb would only be used as a threat), and fearful of the future, he sold his possessions and sailed with his wife and three small daughters to this isolated island. His wife has subsequently died. Mr. Paul concludes by saying he wishes Mark and Joe had never landed here.

Mark points out that Mr. Paul has indulged in "escapism" and is refusing to give his daughters a chance to lead normal lives with families of their own. Mr. Paul counters that it's better to stay unmarried than to return to a world headed for destruction.

Meanwhile, while gathering eggs with Urana, Joe discovers a board on the chicken-coop stenciled with the words: DR. PAUL LUJAN / CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE.

After the meal, Mark takes a moon-lit walk with Venus during which he tells her he enjoys plays, opera, football, and baseball. Urana catches up with them and, in typical kid-sister fashion, asks Mark if he's kissed Venus. This embarrasses Venus but amuses Mark.

Back outside the shelter, Mr. Paul bids good-night to his visitors by giving them pillows and blankets. Then, after the door to the shelter has slid shut, Joe says to Mark: "I bet he's moving the furniture against that door. I don't think he trusts us." Mark replies: "I wish we had a door with a lock on it. I don't trust those young ladies."

Settling down to sleep on the beach, Mark mentions to Joe that they've had all kinds of experiences during their five years together. Joe suggests their current experience tops them all. Mark says: "All you can see is the girls." He adds: "The old man is the real story." Joe then reveals his discovery of the old man's name stenciled on the board. "Yeah, that figures," Mark agrees. He tells Joe how Dr. Paul Lujan worked with Einstein and is one of the world's leading authorities on nuclear fission. Mark is determined to share this news with the outside world as quickly as possible.

In the morning, Mark and Joe towel themselves off after an early swim in the ocean. Then, having changed out of their bathing suits, they travel inland to take photos of Lujan's daughters. The old man arrives on the scene and Mark pointedly addresses him as "Dr. Lujan." Lujan sends his daughters away and Mark now tells Lujan of his plan to leave the island and write a story about him. Lujan says he'll allow Mark and Joe to leave but only if they promise to keep his existence a secret. Mark points out that Joe broadcast their position shortly before their radio failed and that search planes will soon be looking for them. Lujan says they won't be found. Joe asks how searchers could miss their plane parked on the beach. Lujan answers: "It won't be there."

Mark and Joe return to the beach, determined to get their plane ready for take-off. Lujan intercepts them, brandishing a gun fitted with a flame-thrower. When Mark again rejects Lujan's offer of freedom in exchange for a promise of silence, Lujan aims his weapon toward the plane and destroys it in a fiery explosion.

After Lujan walks off, his daughters come to the beach, drawn by the sound of the explosion. Mark explains the situation and asks the young women to help him and Joe build a raft. Mercuria, speaking for herself and her sisters, reluctantly refuses.

Back at the shelter, Lujan's daughters urge their father to soften his attitude. Lujan then returns to the beach and offers Mark and Joe "a truce of sorts" by inviting them to dinner. Upon arriving for dinner, Joe goes with Mercuria and Venus to the kitchen -- "You've never tasted anything till you've sampled my barbequed buffalo under glass!" -- while Lujan takes Mark into his laboratory. Showing off his nuclear reactor, Lujan explains that he's trying to enrich natural uranium into isotope U-235. He also says he must check the reactor every twelve hours to prevent a runaway chain reaction. Next, Lujan shows Mark a radar-screen with a range of 200 miles. If a ship or plane enters this zone, Lujan has the power to destroy it.

As Mark leaves the lab, he asks: "Are you saying that if Joe and I tried to leave this island, you'd try to kill us?" Lujan replies: "Yes, Mr. Bradley, I would."

Mercuria, Venus, and Joe overhear this threat. After closing the lab door, leaving Lujan inside, Mark again stresses to Mercuria and Venus the need for him and Joe to escape from the island and this time they agree to provide tools and a safe place in which to construct a raft. They also warn Mark and Joe not to mention their plans to Urana who's been outside gathering vegetables from the garden.

Back on the beach that evening, Mark and Joe build a hut to fool Lujan into believing they intend to stay. Mercuria and Venus arrive with tools and then lead the men to a cove on the other side of the island where their father never comes. Venus begs Mark to take her with him. Mark refuses, pointing out the dangers involved, but promises to come back for her.

Far into the night, Mark and Joe -- bare-chested and sweaty -- work on constructing the raft, getting sore muscles in the process. Hours later they return to their beach-hut in case Lujan checks on them. Urana shows up just as Mark is putting his shirt back on. She claims to be sure she's fallen in love with him, having read about this condition in various books. Mark tactfully tries to discourage her but she gives him a quick kiss before running off. Mark shakes his head and smiles.

In the morning, Mercuria visits the beach-hut and observes a bare-chested Joe as he finishes shaving. She then induces him to lie on his stomach so she can massage his sore muscles with a jar of liniment. This massage weakens Joe's resolve to leave the island and he's about to kiss Mercuria when Mark appears. Mercuria now departs and Mark removes his shirt so Joe can apply some of that liniment to his shoulder.

Back at the shelter, radar indicates an approaching plane, prompting Lujan to summon Mark and Joe with his loudspeaker. After they arrive, he reminds them of the destructive power he possesses.

Inside the cockpit of the approaching plane, the pilot (Bob Stratton) and co-pilot (Tom Riley) spot Lujan's island but suddenly encounter air turbulence. Assuming the island is deserted, they turn and fly away. Lujan tells Mark and Joe: "Now this island will be marked as uninhabited. They'll never look for you again."

Troubled by Lujan's words, Mark goes off to think. Venus follows and finds him deep in thought, idly whittling a stick with a knife. She tries to cheer him up by kissing him. This prompts Mark to say: "You know, you're pretty wonderful. You're unspoiled and you're trusting." Sensing Mark still wants to be alone, Venus goes off for a swim in the ocean. Mark soon follows and spots a shark's fin in the water. He calls out a warning but Venus is too far from shore to hear so he slips off his shoes, jumps in the ocean, and kills the shark with his whittling knife.

Back on shore, a grateful Venus kisses her rescuer and says she's determined to accompany him on his raft. Urana eavesdrops on this conversation but moves off before hearing Mark once again telling Venus he can't take her with him.

Meanwhile Joe and Mercuria discuss the future, a discussion which ends with a passionate kiss. Mark interrupts them with news of the shark and Mercuria goes to make sure Venus is all right. Realizing he and Joe have become love-struck, Mark says: "You know, the way things are going around here biologically, we better get that raft finished soon."

Back at the cove, Mark and Joe, once again shirtless, have resumed work when an angry Lujan pays them a visit accompanied by Urana. Lujan tells how Urana overheard Mark planning to escape with Venus. Mark insists the raft is just for himself and Joe and suggests Urana only heard part of the conversation. Mercuria and Venus arrive and while Venus verifies Mark's story, Lujan orders her and Mercuria back to the shelter. They refuse, walking over to stand next to Mark and Joe. "We're going to stay until they leave," Mercuria announces. Lujan walks off, followed by Urana.

Later, with the raft almost finished, Mark says he and Venus will keep watch while Joe and Mercuria rest.

At the shelter, Urana tells her father she thinks Mark might be telling the truth about not taking Venus with him. Lujan remains unconvinced.

At the raft, only Joe remains awake. He's confronted by Lujan who points the flame-thrower at him and silently forces him back to the shelter. Lujan then orders Joe to broadcast a message to Mark via the loudspeaker, a message stating that Mercuria and Venus must return alone to the shelter. "Do whatever you think is best," Joe says at the end of the broadcast. Lujan then takes the microphone and tells Mark his two older daughters must return in twenty minutes or "you'll be responsible for what happens to Mr. Walker."

Mark, listening to this broadcast with Mercuria and Venus, isn't sure how to proceed but begins to walk with the young women toward the shelter. At the shelter, Lujan locks Joe inside a storeroom. Lujan and Urana then get into an argument. During a struggle for possession of the flame-thrower, the weapon goes off and starts a fire. Urana dashes to the shelter's entrance and desperately calls for her sisters.

Lujan, realizing the fire threatens his reactor, tries to put out the flames but is knocked unconscious by falling debris. Mercuria and Venus arrive and help Urana carry the slowly-recovering Lujan from the burning shelter. Mark rushes in and frees Joe from the locked storeroom. "Let's get away from here," Mark says. "This place is going to blow up."

All six people rush away from the shelter and find refuge behind a rocky slope. "Keep your heads down, close your eyes," Lujan orders. Seconds later an enormous blast rocks the island and a gust of wind blows dust around the rocky slope. The six people now stand and see a mushroom cloud rising over part of the island.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Australian Atomic Energy Commission, the assistant director, Mr. Garland (George Brand), tells Dr. McBain (Gavin Muir) that an atomic explosion has been detected in an uncharted area of the Pacific Ocean. McBain picks up a phone and places an emergency call to the headquarters of the American Air Force.

Back on the island, Venus urges Mark to speak to her disconslate father. When Mark approaches him, Lujan looks over the now-desolate landscape and says: "Ironic, isn't it. The very thing I came here to escape." Mark tells Lujan he's sorry how things have turned out.

In the skies near the island, the pilot (Stan Sweet) and co-pilot (Vern Taylor) of a second search plane -- using coordinates supplied by the Australians -- notice a plume of smoke.

Joe spots the plane, pulls off his shirt, and waves it to attract attention."C'mon, you fly boys! C'mon!"

On the plane, the pilot takes note of the situation on the island and radios a request for an air-sea rescue craft which can carry six passengers.

Joe warns Mercuria to stay close to him because all fliers are "wolves" who like to kiss and make love to girls. "Oh, you mean men like you?" Mercuria asks with a teasing smile.

Urana tries to encourage Lujan. "You're not sorry we're leaving, are you, Father?" Lujan replies: "We'll see, my darling. We'll see."

As the plane flies by for another look, Venus tells Mark: "Here comes your world." Mark replies: "Our world." They stand together, smiling, Mark's arm around Venus, looking up at the circling plane.