During the American Civil War, five Union prisoners of war decide to escape during the siege of Richmond, Virginia, by hijacking a balloon. The balloon lands on an uncharted island in the South Pacific and the men establish a new life on the island.

After escaping from their captors in a giant air balloon, five prisoners of the Civil War find themselves stranded on a deserted island. Despite their different backgrounds, they decide to band together and combine their talents to live on the island, which they named Lincoln Island. Cyrus is a railroad engineer, Gideon is a journalist, Neb is a man who escaped slavery, Pencroff is a sailor, and Harbert is Pencroff's protégé and son. Each man uses...