Ten teens from the Hartwell school are flying to a class eco-adventure to Palau on a small plane with a pilot. During a thunderstorm, the plane is struck by lightning, forcing the pilot to leave the plane in the ocean, but sees a patch of land and decides to crash there. The plane is next seen on the beach, resting on the sand, with smoke coming from one of the wings with the call letters, 29 DWN visible on the side. Everyone is alive, but they're stuck on an island with nothing but freeze dried food, a crippled airplane, camping gear, and each other.