'After a moment, lying there in darkness . . . it all hit me. I was blind and we were lost at sea.' When the ship carrying Phillip and his mother to Virginia sinks, Phillip is stranded on a raft with Timothy, an old black seaman, and his cat. Without his sight, Phillip must rely on Timothy to survive. Shipwrecked on a deserted cay, Phillip and Timothy discover they are different in so many ways. but will Phillip realize that beneath their skin they are the same - and that without Timothy's help he is in terrible danger? One of the world's most enduring stories about race, prejudice and friendship.