A determined sixteen-year-old youth named Dave Hallard is drawn to seafaring and joins vessels whose voyages include violent storms, derelict finds, and salvage attempts. Shipboard incidents and rivalries culminate in multiple wrecks that strand survivors on a remote coral island, where they must improvise craft and organize for survival. On shore the group confronts mysterious evidence of former visitors, including a skeleton and the remains of an old bark, and conducts stealthy night ventures and tense parleying with other parties. The narrative tracks resourcefulness, loyalty, and courage as the cast pursues rescue and a contested prize through successive maritime adventures.