Surviving Sand Island

Interest from A-listers In 1761, Malagasy survive impossible odds enduring their kidnapping, a titanic ship wreck, and abandonment on a harsh, stark island. Captive Semiavou saves the life of the ship’s commander, DuVernay, before he and his men escape the island. Her kindness sets him on a 15 year quest to rescue the castaways. He is thrown in jail for his efforts. In the interim, Semiavou reluctantly assumes leadership under the falsehood of being a Sacred Healer. She glues the community together as they say goodbye to their men who leave on a makeshift raft. They are not seen again. Resigned to their situation, the women build crude homes in the dirt to save themselves from deadly cyclones. They craft innovative tools from ship debris and gradually reclaim their culture and define who they are, despite unrest from a small faction. Years into their abandonment, a sailor washes up on shore from an ill-fated rescue attempt. He and Semiavou fall in love, producing a baby before he dies in another failed escape. DuVernay is released from prison and convinces an unscrupulous captain to rescue the women. The captain takes DuVernay’s last penny and claims the glory of rescuing the group for himself. Just as the starving women are digging their own graves, the captain saves them, returns them home, assimilating them into the French culture, forcing them to fore sake their own. In one last heroic effort, the women and DuVernay successfully plan their escape back to their community and culture.