On a tropical island, an orphan boy named Tama is "cursed" by his tribe and finds comfort in fellow outcast: Mahana, a fiesty girl shunned for her ragged appearance. When Tama sails off in search of a new life, he promises a tearful Mahana to return for her someday. Tama's journey leads him to Johnny Lingo, a wealthy trader who makes Tama his apprentice and heir. Now as Tama embraces his new life, he must learn that the measure of a man is not in his possessions but in love, friendship and - in Tama's case - honoring a promise from the past.