Theodore Taylor’s Cay opens in the stunning setting of Curacao, a Dutch island off the Venezuelan coast. German submarines lurk nearby as World War II touches even the sunny Caribbean. Young Phillip and his mother seek to escape danger by fleeing to the United States, but their ship is torpedoed by the Germans. In the rush to the lifeboats, Phillip receives a head injury. He awakens to find himself on a small raft accompanied by a large black man and a cat. Swelling from his wound soon leaves Phillip blind and the adventure begins as he and Timothy must find land and survive there until help comes.