National Network for Equitable Library Service

Two young children, cousins Dicky and Emmeline Lestrange, and a galley cook survive a shipwreck in the South Pacific and are stranded on a lush tropical island. The cook, kindly old salt Paddy Button, assumes the responsibility for caring for the children. Paddy eventually dies in a drunken binge and the children are left to survive solely on their resourcefulness and the bounty of their remote paradise. In time, Richard and Emmeline grow into beautiful young adults when strange emotions begin to influence their relationship.