David Balfour, a young Scotsman orphaned by the death of his father, is betrayed by his uncle, shanghaied, and carried to the New World for a life in bondage--until a swashbuckling highlander, Alan Breck Stewart, comes to his rescue. Balfour escapes to the Highlands with the help of his friend but encounters further danger and intrigue as he tries to clear his name and regain his rightful property.