• Crusoe survives a deadly shipwreck in the Caribbean and manages to set up a camp for himself on an uninhabited island. Much of the story follows the time Crusoe spent building his shelter and other things to make his life more comfortable. He documents his gardening, goat raising, and hunting, as well as his religious reflections.
 
 • Many years after the shipwreck, Crusoe rescues a prisoner from a group of cannibals who land on his island. He names this man Friday, converts him to Christianity, and enjoys his company.
 
 • Later, he sees a British ship sailing by. The crew has recently mutinied, but with the help of the captain he's able to take the ship. He returns to England briefly, where he has been disinherited, because his father had believed Crusoe to be dead upon his own death, but soon sets out on another adventure.