The everyday world is for children to play--outside and in--and go to school, and play at dressing up like their parents. The Neverland is a world of quite a different sort. It is an island, with coral reefs, lagoons, flamingos, old women with crooked noses, and pirate ships. The everyday world must be kept separate from the Neverland world, and although children may become familiar with Neverland, all good parents--as well as the childrens' dog, if they are so lucky as to have one--must do everything they can to keep their children safely on the everyday side. Most of all, everyone must be very cautious about that one little boy from the Neverland, Peter Pan, who has always been a little boy and always will be, isn't afraid to put children in dangerous places like pirate ships, and gnashes his teeth at the sight of a grown-up.

 The Darling children are Wendy, Michael, and Peter, and they are friends with Peter Pan, despite the fact that Mrs. Darling (who well knows what kind of boy Peter is) and the children's nursemaid, Nana the dog, have taken every precaution to keep him out of the nursery, and to push him to the very backs of the childrens' minds. Of course, it's no good to try to keep Peter out when he wants in, and in he comes…into the childrens' bedroom, into their heads and out again, but he leaves his shadow behind, with cunning only a child could have. And when should he come back to look for his shadow, but when Mr. and Mrs. Darling are away and Nana is cruelly tied up in the yard, as though she were any ordinary dog? Just on that Friday night does Peter Pan come through the window for his shadow, but leave with all three children in tow.

 Brushed with fairy dust from the small fairy with the big mouth, Tinker Bell, and thoroughly enchanted by sly Peter Pan, the three Darlings fly with Peter to the land all young people instinctively know, Neverland. However, Neverland turns out not to be the rosy fairy tale adults would like to think it is. Swarming with bloodthirsty pirates with Captain Hook at the head, horrible wild beasts, and a tribe of warriors led by the cool, brave Princess Tiger Lily, the island turns out to be more adventure than the children ever dreamed.