During the American Civil War, five Northerners escape from Richmond taken by the Southerners on a hot air balloon. But a terrible storm blows them onto a deserted island lost in the vast Pacific Ocean, where they must spend many long years relying only on their own strength and knowledge, on mutual help and comradeship.
The talented engineer and scientist Cyrus Smith, the determined and brave war correspondent Gideon Spilett, the resourceful daredevil sailor Pencroff, the fifteen-year-old Herbert Brown, and the former slave Ned—not only will they survive in harsh conditions, but they will also build a life no worse than in the "civilized" countries of the 19th century. They will have to contend with the elements, disease, fight pirates, bring back from the wildness the former criminal Ayrton, and bring peace to Captain Nemo.