Hurtling over the Pacific Ocean in a sinking air balloon, four men struggle to keep their airship afloat on the afternoon of March 23, 1865. Caught in a tremendous storm, the men continue to periodically toss more and more supplies overboard in the hope of lightening their load and keeping the air balloon aloft. Even by the next day, they still have not caught sight of any land, and their hopes begin to dim.

However, the following afternoon, one of the men spies land. One of the men falls overboard, allowing the balloon to rise up into the air just long enough to allow the balloon to make it to shore. Once the men gather themselves up on the beach, they realize that there are only four of them there—along with their dog—and that one of their companions, Cyrus Smith, has gone missing. They rush to the water to attempt a rescue.

The passengers in the air balloon were once prisoners in Richmond, Virginia. They escaped together using an air balloon grounded in the center of town, staying aloft for five whole days before crash-landing on the island. The men are Cyrus (a union soldier), Gideon Spillett (a news journalist), Nebuchadnezzar (a former enslaved person who remained attached to Cyrus as a servant),

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