Part 1
A tremendous storm rages over the waters off the South American coast, turning the three-masted ship Esmeralda into a helpless plaything of the forces of nature. The crew desperately tries to save themselves and the ship. Towering waves crash over the deck of the Esmeralda, sweeping the entire crew overboard. Among them is Robinson Crusoe, who is traveling as a slave trader for the first time, and he finds himself as the sole survivor on an unknown shore. The young man quickly realizes that he has not been washed ashore on the mainland but is on an obviously uninhabited island. He spends his first night high up in a tree, fearing wild animals. Memories of his youth now flash before him. He is the son of a merchant from Bremen named Kreutznaer.