In the late 19th century, mishaps at sea place a widow, Sarah Hargrave (Lisa Pelikan), on a deserted island in the south Pacific with her year-old daughter, Lilli, and a two-year-old boy they have rescued, whom Sarah names Richard. Struggling to adapt to their harsh circumstances, Sarah nonetheless educates the children with an eye toward one day returning to her former life in San Francisco. The toddlers grow into bright and lively young children, but just as they are on the cusp of maturity, Sarah dies of pneumonia. As they enter adolescence without the guiding hand of an adult, Lilli (Milla Jovovich) and Richard (Brian Krause) nonetheless overcome the squabbles of childhood and fall deeply in love. But their idyllic life is forever changed when a ship appears off their island, forcing them to contend with "civilization" for the first time.