Robinson Crusoe

The film opens with a fictional Daniel Defoe being offered to read a castaway's autobiography, and he reluctantly agrees. As the pages turn, Crusoe's voice draws him deeper into the tale, setting the frame for the adventure to come.

Crusoe, a Scottish gentleman, duels Patrick over Mary and kills him, sparking threats from Patrick's brothers. Crusoe's page manages to buy time for an escape, and he decides to leave for a year to seek reconciliation with Mary.

Crusoe joins the merchant marine, transporting cargo across the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. The captain urges him to chronicle the journeys, turning Crusoe's voyage into a testimony for posterity. A typhoon strikes and wrecks the ship near the coast of New Guinea.

On the island, Crusoe buries the sailors washed up on the beaches. He surveys the wreck and salvages tools, supplies, and weapons. He also frees the captain's corgi Skipper and begins to adapt to life on land.

Crusoe scavenges the wrecked vessel for gear and provisions and builds a shelter. He starts farming and hunting, hoping for a passing European ship to rescue him. The island slowly becomes his new world.

Crusoe hears drums and discovers a nearby tribe conducting human sacrifices. He intervenes by firing his weapon, which allows the third prisoner to escape from the ritual circle.

Crusoe meets the escaped native who will become Friday, but communication between them is rudimentary at first. When the tribe attacks, they struggle to communicate and Crusoe witnesses a brutal ritual that unsettles him.

Crusoe and Friday begin to form a bond as Crusoe trains Friday and calls him Friday while presenting himself as Master. Within six months Friday learns the basics of English. Crusoe attempts to convert Friday to Christianity, but Friday refuses, triggering tension between them.

Crusoe and Friday are reunited and devise a plan to trap the tribe that attacked Friday. Crusoe lights a fuse toward a powder cache, and the blast kills Skipper during the ensuing explosion. The event deepens Crusoe's appreciation for Friday's religion.

Crusoe and Friday discuss leaving the island due to an impending assault. Friday explains that he cannot take Crusoe to his home island, nor to New Britain, where his people would be enslaved. Crusoe begins planning a canoe to reach safety elsewhere.

A typhoon arrives just as their canoe nears completion. Friday returns to reaffirm their bond. The storm destroys the crops and the boat, and they set traps to defend the island, bracing for a possible attack.

The tribes attack in force. Crusoe is shot by an arrow, and Friday attempts to save him by taking him to Friday's homeland. They reach Friday's home island, but Crusoe is captured and forced to fight Friday to the death for his freedom.

A group of European slavers arrives and kills Friday. Crusoe is rescued but devastated by the loss. He is tended to and brought to Lisbon, from where he sails home and is reunited with Mary.

Crusoe sails home to be with Mary. Back in the world, Daniel Defoe resolves to write the tale of the castaway, declaring to his publisher that he must document Crusoe's story.