The Cay is a 1969 middle grade novel by American author Theodore Taylor. The story follows an 11-year-old boy named Phillip who must survive on a small Caribbean island with an older Black man named Timothy. The novel is a survival story, but it is also about unlearning racism; Taylor dedicated the book to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Cay received several literary awards, including the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award in 1970, which Taylor later returned due to controversy over the book’s stance on racism. In 1974, the novel was adapted into a TV movie starring James Earl Jones as Timothy and Alfred Lutter as Phillip.

This guide uses the eBook version of the Dell Laurel-Leaf 2003 edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This guide includes discussions of anti-Black racism and stereotypes included in the original text. The novel sometimes uses outdated linguistic conventions, including writing “black” rather than “Black” when referring to people of African descent. The guide uses the contemporary conventions for capitalization unless quoting directly from the text.

Plot Summary

The Cay begins in February 1942, on the night that German U-boats begin bombing the small Caribbean island of Curaçao. Eleven-year-old Phillip Enright, who has heard about the war but not seen it up close, thinks this is exciting. Things get progressively worse in Curaçao, with water rationing coming into effect as the island’s supply lines get cut off. Phillip’s mother, Grace, wants to move back home to Virginia to escape the war; in 1939, the family moved to Curaçao so Phillip’s father, who works at an oil refinery, could help with the war effort. Grace also wants to leave because she does not like living among the Black residents of Curaçao; she has marked racist views. One day, Phillip and his father watch as the SS Empire Tern explodes after being hit by a torpedo.

In April, Phillip and his mother get passage on the SS Hato, which will take them to the United States via Panama, while Phillip’s father remains in Curaçao. A few days into the voyage, the Hato is hit by a torpedo. During the evacuation effort, Phillip gets hit on the head and is knocked unconscious: When he wakes up, he is on a raft with an old Black man who introduces himself as Timothy. A ship cat named Stew Cat is also on the raft with them. Phillip is distressed to learn that he is stranded at sea without his mother. Having internalized his mother’s racist views, he also feels uncomfortable about spending time with a Black person. Timothy, who has a good understanding of how to survive at sea, immediately rations their water, which Phillip resents. Timothy catches some fish, but Phillip refuses to eat any.

Phillip and Timothy reach an uneasy peace by the end of their first day on the raft. Phillip learns that Timothy has spent his whole life in the Caribbean and is uncertain of his exact age. The next morning, Phillip’s head injury causes him to go blind. Timothy tries to reassure Phillip that his sight will soon return. After a few days, an aircraft passes overhead, but Timothy’s attempts to signal it are unsuccessful. The next day, Timothy spots an island and decides it is safer for them to be on land rather than staying on the raft.

When they reach the island, Timothy builds a shelter, a catchment for rainwater, and a signal fire they can light in case a plane flies by. Timothy also fishes for langosta, or small lobsters. The next day, the two of them write “HELP” on the sand. Timothy cannot read or write, so Phillip helps him, surprised to meet an illiterate adult. To help Phillip get around the island, Timothy makes guide ropes out of vines. He teaches Phillip other tasks, like fishing, weaving, and climbing trees, so Phillip can become more independent.

Timothy starts to worry that the island is haunted by a jumbi, or evil spirit. Because Timothy says that Stew Cat is bad luck, Phillip is afraid that he is going to kill the cat to get rid of the jumbi. Instead, Timothy makes a wooden effigy of Stew Cat, covers it in nails, and places it atop the hut. One day, Timothy gets very sick with malaria. Phillip tries to help him as he grows delirious with fever, but there is not much that he can do. Timothy recovers, but he remains weakened by the experience. Phillip eventually works up the courage to climb a palm tree and manages to bring down two coconuts, marking a major victory in his quest for independence.

In July, a hurricane threatens the cay. Timothy and Phillip secure their possessions to prepare for the storm and lash themselves to a palm tree on the highest part of the island. The hurricane brings flooding and severe winds, knocking both Timothy and Phillip unconscious. When the storm has passed, Timothy is badly injured; his back and legs have been severely lacerated by the flying sand and other debris. Phillip holds his hand as he dies, and afterward, he digs a grave and buries Timothy on the island.

For weeks, Phillip and Stew Cat survive alone. In August, a plane passes overhead, and Phillip manages to light a signal fire that throws black smoke into the air. The next day, a boat arrives to rescue Phillip. In total, he has spent around four months on the cay. He brings Timothy’s knife with him and is reunited with his parents in a hospital. He describes his experiences to his parents, but he does not think they understand how much he has changed. After three operations, his sight is restored. Phillip starts spending more time with the Black workers at the docks in Curaçao, some of whom remember Timothy. He enjoys spending time with them and no longer sees them as different from himself. He hopes one day to return to the cay and to Timothy’s grave.