Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a sailor who is marooned on an island off the coast of South America. Crusoe battles all hardship, including bad weather, lack of provisions and hostile cannibals, till he is finally rescued. In the course of his long stay on the island, he rescues a man from the cannibals. He names the man Friday, and makes him his trusted friend and servant.

Crusoe manages to make his life on the island comfortable by exercising his resourcefulness and making clever use of the available materials around him. In this way, the novel celebrates the final triumph of the human spirit over adversity.