All Is Lost begins with our main (and only) character, called "Our Man" in the credits and played by Robert Redford, reading a letter to unnamed loved ones. Eight days earlier, we begin his story. His yacht has crashed into a shipping container, puncturing the side. He repairs it, but before he can get to land, a violent storm further damages things. Eventually he is forced to abandon ship and takes to his life raft. He tries to head for a nearby shipping zone, hoping to be picked up by a large ship, but his luck and resources begin to run out.
