In 1871, William Blake, a wealthy man suffering from leprosy arranges to purchase half of Antonio Island, off the coast of Oregon, to establish a leper colony for his afflicted people. However, island residents Patrick Malone, Norman Castle, Richard Wayne and David Williams double cross Blake. During a foggy night, they loot his clipper ship, the "Elizabeth Dane", and set it on fire, killing all aboard. One hundred and thirty-four years later, the residents of Antonio Island prepare to honor their founding fathers - unaware they were the same men who burned the "Elizabeth Dane" - and a statue of them is to be unveiled on the town's anniversary.