Swept off course by a raging storm, a Swiss pastor, his wife, and their four young sons are shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island. Thus begins this classic story of survival and adventure that has fired the imaginations of readers since it first appeared in 1812. As they struggle to survive in the wilderness, the Swiss family Robinson discover their own amazing ingenuity and courage. Although they have lost almost everything in the shipwreck, they are so resourceful at constructing a life for themselves on the island that, when rescue finally comes, they decline to leave their refuge and their happy life.