A typhoon strikes Lincoln Island, and King is blown away into the night. In the aftermath of the storm, the children are surprised to discover a floating island drifting to their shore. When they explore the island -- which turns out to be a rather bizarre tropical paradise of trees of every sort, desert dunes, and shifting weathers, the children spot both King as well as Ayerton, who tells them crazy stories about the island and reveals he ended up ashore when the American Navy sunk the Nautilus. He warns them that there is a deep mystery at the heart of the island.