The Cay

THE CAY takes place on the Dutch island of Curacao during World War II. A young American boy, Phillip Enright, lives on the island with his parents, and he at first seems to imagine the war like a game. However, his mother is afraid for their safety and decides to take Phillip back to the United States, though Phillip's father believes the journey will not be safe. The ship that takes Phillip and his mother from the island is, in fact, torpedoed, and Phillip is separated from his mother. He finds himself stranded with a Black man named Timothy, who cares for Phillip and teaches him lessons in survival and resilience. The pair end up on a small cay (or key) on an unpopulated island, where they erect a shelter and catch fish to eat. As the two come to depend on each other to survive, racist ideas that Phillip inherited from his mother are challenged, and the two castaways -- now friends -- divide their efforts between sustaining themselves and trying to signal to any overhead aircraft that they need to be rescued.