The feuding billionaire families Tankerdon and Coverly have constructed a fully maneuverable steel island measuring 27 square kilometers. This oval island is exclusively reserved for wealthy residents and is equipped with every conceivable luxury. However, the extensive cruise to the South Seas ends in disaster: the rival families, each controlling the starboard and port sides of the island, issue conflicting steering commands that send the propeller island into a dangerous spinning motion. With the illustrations from the original edition of 1895.