as a young boy, jim hawkins (joseph gordon-levitt) grows up enjoying stories of the legendary pirate captain flint. twelve years later, he has grown into a wayward, rebellious teenager; his father is out of the picture and his mother sarah (laurie metclafe) is at her wit's end. jim reluctantly helps his mother out at the benbow inn, and finds entertainment through "solar surfing" (similar to windsurfing and sky surfing), a hobby which gets him into frequent trouble.