There comes a time when even the most decent English gentleman wants to experience a real adventure, feel the salty sea wind, breathe the air of distant, exotic countries, win the heart of a mysterious stranger... So it’s time for William Dursley, a successful young man, to leave his town and go in search of a mysterious island, which was allegedly discovered somewhere in the South Seas by his eccentric uncle. Together with him, a stern sea wolf, a bored businessman and a beautiful American woman go under sail... Thus begins one of the most fascinating and witty novels by John Boynton Priestley.