After the death of his father, young David Balfour discovers that his uncle Ebenezer has cheated him out of his inheritance. Subsequently, his uncle has David kidnapped and placed on a ship bound for the Carolinas. Aboard ship, Balfour and Alan Breck, a political rebel, become friends. When the ship is wrecked, they escape across the Scottish Highlands under suspicion of having committed a political murder that they accidentally witnessed. Balfour eventually reclaims his inheritance and also aids Breck’s cause.