After a shipwreck, three boys, Ralph Rover, Jack Martin, and Peterkin Gay, become stranded on an uninhabited Polynesian island.

The story, set in 1840, centers on 3 boys from England and their struggle for survival when they are shipwrecked on a remote Pacific island. Jack (played by Scott McGregor), Peterkin (played by Nicholas Bond-Owen) and Ralph (played by Richard Gibson) must learn to survive on their own on the island, despite their very different characters and backgrounds. After befriending two natives on the island, they are rescued by an English missionary team, and both the boys and the two natives return to England.