Joseph has always lived on an island with only his father, a shepherd and hundreds of sheep. His island is a wonderful home, with lots of exciting things to do. There are trees and hills to climb, a long shoreline to explore for treasures, a weekly supply boat to meet, beaches to play on, pretending to be a shipwrecked sailor on a desert island ... But Joseph has no one to play with, no one to talk to. His father is always busy, Paul the shepherd never has much to say, and Ross and Collie the sheepdogs can't talk back to him. So Joseph decides to visit the mainland, a place he has only heard about and where children have friends to play with. But to reach the mainland Joseph needs a boat ...