In the late 1700s, a ship bound from Switzerland to Australia encounters six days and nights of stormy seas. The ship, carrying the Robinson family—Father, his wife Elizabeth, and their four sons—sustains heavy damage, and the crew abandons the Robinsons to fend for themselves. In sight of land, the ship becomes wedged between two rocks, keeping it stable while the family gathers provisions, fashions a crude boat, and attempts to reach shore.

Loading their makeshift canoe with food, ammunition, tools, and a flock of chickens, the Robinsons set out for shore. Two mastiffs left behind by the crew leap overboard and swim alongside the boat. Once ashore, the Robinsons rig a temporary shelter, start a cooking fire, and explore the beach. They quickly discover a food source: a rocky inlet filled with oysters and shellfish. The eldest son, fourteen-year-old Fritz, goes hunting and returns with an agouti, a small pig-like animal. Following dinner, the family gives thanks for their safe delivery to dry land. Judging by the lack of twilight and rapid sunset, the father reasons they must have landed near the equator.