A young man eager for travel leaves his family, embarks on sea voyages, and becomes shipwrecked and stranded alone on a remote island. He survives by foraging and cultivating food, fashioning tools and clothing, building shelter and boats, and making weapons and traps. Solitude, storms, illness, and occasional earthquakes test his endurance, while discoveries of bones and signs of other people provoke fear and investigation. He rescues and instructs a companion, teaches language and skills, and together they defend the island, exploit wrecked ships, and establish more permanent habitation. Ultimately rescue and return lead him back to a sober, industrious life.