Jim Hawkins is a young boy who helps his parents run their seaside inn.

When their lodger Billy Bones dies, Jim gains possession of a map that indicates the location of a hoard of gold hidden by pirates in a Caribbean island.

Jim seeks the advice of Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney, and together they decide to set out on a treasure hunt.

The adventure starts with their journey in the schooner Hispaniola.

The majority of the crew is a group of bloodthirsty pirates, led by the wily Long John Silver, preparing a mutiny.

Silver also assumes the role of a father figure for Jim.

The novel is filled with buried treasure and treasure maps, pirates and mutinies, gunfights and sword fights, narrow escapes, and a young hero who manages to save the day.