Captain Bones, an elderly pirate, arrives at the Admiral Benbow inn, owned by Jim Hawkins and his widowed mother.

Trelawney procures the ship Hispaniola, hires Captain Smollett, and with the help of one-legged publican Long John Silver, gathers a crew of sailors.

After land is sighted, Jim hurries to Livesey, Trelawney, and Smollet, who secretly plan their own offensive.

Jim sneaks ashore to spy on Silver, witnesses the murder of two sailors who refuse to join the mutiny, and finds Ben Gunn, whom Flint marooned on the island three years prior.

Livesy and Hunter also sneak ashore, find Flint's old stockade, and arrange for their party to change their base of operations.

However, Hands uses the cannon to sink the jolly boat while Smollett's party is rowing to shore in it, and in the ensuing pursuit across the island, Redruth is shot dead.

Hands, badly wounded after a fight on board, agrees to help Jim beach the Hispaniola, then attempts to stab him in the back after the ship runs aground.

The next day, Livesey comes to treat some of the pirates, and Jim confides to him about the Hispaniola, and that he owes his life to Silver.

Silver, unwilling to stand trial for his crimes, threatens Gunn and steals a gig, sailing off to freedom.

According to Allmovie, Charlton Heston "plays the character of Long John Silver as written: a cold, crafty, cunning rogue, by turns charming and deadly, but never to be underestimated" and, unlike other filmed versions of the story, the movie "adheres with utter fidelity to the Stevenson novel".