When a violent storm wrecks their ship and the crew abandons them for lost, a Swiss pastor, his wife, and their four spirited sons find themselves alone off the shore of an uninhabited tropical island. Rather than despair, the resourceful family sets to work: salvaging all they can from the broken ship, ferrying animals and supplies to land, and using courage, ingenuity, and a remarkable breadth of knowledge to carve out a home in the wilderness. Each day brings fresh discoveries and challenges. Wyss's classic 1812 adventure begins a tale of family, invention, and survival at the edge of the known world.