Along with their friends Laura and Brian, Tom and Mitch Hearn are on board the Rakurai, in search of the mysterious Dragon Island. Mitch is charged with being the ship's captain, but his decisions are making Tom furious. This is no time for a family feud, however, especially when they are attacked by pirates, and then Brian disappears! Worse yet, the Rakurai seems to be headed on a different course - one that leads them right into the hands of their arch nemesis, Julian Vane.