A disillusioned London gentleman abruptly abandons metropolitan routine and is carried to a remote Pacific island, where bewilderment gives way to survival, rescue, and prolonged residence within a small community. He observes and takes part in the island's government, laws, arts, festivals, and rituals, forges relationships that include romantic and moral entanglements, confronts misunderstandings and plots, and undergoes repentance and inward meditation. The narrative blends vivid adventure with social observation, contrasting urban machinery with island social order while tracing the protagonist's gradual reassessment of identity and values.