Gordon is one of fifteen students stranded on a deserted Pacific island after their boat drifts out to sea and runs aground. He becomes one of the group's three leaders, alongside Briant and Doniphan, tasked with organizing the others for survival. The group discovers evidence indicating a sailor lived and died on the island roughly twenty years before their arrival. During their twenty months of isolation, Gordon engages in vital survival efforts, including preparing winter provisions. His leadership involves coordinating the group to maintain order and address environmental challenges.