Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Overview

Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are staying with their abrasive, annoying cousin Eustace Clarence Scrubb. The Scrubb household is described as "modern," which Lewis uses in a decidedly derisive tone. Peter is studying for his university exams with Professor Kirke, and Susan is traveling about America with the Pevensie parents.  In the book they play no further part in the story.  

Lucy Pevensie: Youngest of the Pevensie Family, and the first of the family to enter Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She is known as Queen Lucy by Narnian characters.

Edmund Pevensie: Youngest boy in the Pevensie family. Known as King Edmund in Narnia.

Eustace Scrubb: Cousin of the Pevensie children. Comes from a family that is very "modern," with Lewis using it derogatorily. The book starts "There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he nearly deserved it."

Caspian X: Current King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands. Leads the eponymous voyage.

Reepicheep: Leader of all Narnian Talking Mice

Drinian: Captain and primary navigator of the Dawn Treader

Edumund, Lucy, and Eusatce are at the Scrubb household. While Edmund and Lucy are talking, Eustace pops in the room to annoy them. Then a picture of a boat on the wall starts moving, and suddenly they find themselves in the ocean next to the boat. When they are pulled on board, Lucy and Edmund realize where they are (Narnia) and who they are with (Caspian, Reepicheep, and crew). Eustace obviously knows none of this and wants to be let off the boat.

Caspian informs them that they are on the best boat that he has, the Dawn Treader, and that they have set sail to look for the lost lords of Narnia that were sent out by Caspian's uncle, Miraz. Reepicheep also hopes to reach the "utter East" or "Aslan's Country."

Their first stop is at the Lone Islands, a group of islands that is supposed to be under Narnian rule, but has fallen away from Narnian customs and laws. One such major example is that they are a hub of the Calormene slave trade. Here the children, Caspian, and some crew are captured by Calormene slave traders. Before they can take them to the slave market, they meet a man who buys Caspian. This man turns out to be Lord Bern, the first of the seven lost lords.With Bern's help, Caspian reclaims the Lone Islands for Narnia, removes the governor of his title and power and appoints Lord Bern as the Duke of the Lone Islands. The children are then freed from the slave market and, after making repairs and adding provisions to the ship, it sets sail again to the east.

At their next stop, Eustace attempts to avoid doing his fair share of work by escaping into the forest. He becomes lost, and during a rainstorm has to hide in a dragon's cave. He collects some treasure that he intends to steal and then falls asleep. When he awakens, to his shock and horror, he has turned into a dragon himself. He is eventually able to communicate this fact to his shipmates and help them with their work. Eventually Aslan finds him and turns him back into a boy. Caspian recognizes the armband that caused the mess; it belonged to one of the seven lost lords, Lord Octesian.

About a days travel past Dragon Island, they come to an uninhabited island they call Burnt Island.On Burnt Island, they find a coracle (a small boat) that is just the right size for Reepicheep and they take it aboard. Some time after Burnt Island they encounter the Sea Serpent. The Sea Serpent tries to snap the boat in half, but they manage (at Reepicheep's suggestion) to push the Dawn Treader through the looped body of the snake.

After their encounter with the serpent, they come across an island where they find Narnian relics. They reach a pool on the island and find a golden statue at the bottom. Eventually they realize that anything placed in the water is turned into gold, and the statue is actually the body of one of the missing lords, Lord Restimar. After they argue and nearly fight about what to do with this knowledge, Aslan makes them forget about the water, except for the fact the Reepicheep suggests that the island be dubbed Deathwater Island.

The ship continued eastward and when they were nearly out of supplies, came upon an island. The landing party of Caspian, Edmund, Eustace, Lucy, and Reepicheep go ashore and were surrounded by people who called themselves "Duffers." They claim that an evil magician uglified them, so they snuck into his house and made everything invisible. Now they want to be changed back and Lucy is (apparently) the only one who can do it. She enters the house and, after encountering Aslan, reverses the spell. It is then she meets the magician, a kind and patient old man who works with the incredibly dim-witted Duffers.

After this stop they come across what they think is an island but turns out to be a dark cloud. As they sail towards it, a man wades up to the ship pleading to be taken aboard. He states that he has been on the Island Where Dreams Come True, which as all the characters attest, can be a truly frightening place. They are able to escape and find out that the man is Lord Rhoop.

They continue on until they reach the Island of the Star. Upon landing on the island, they find the three remaining lords in an enchanted sleep. They eventually meet Ramandu, a fallen star that lives on the island, and his daughter. Ramandu tells them that the only way to awaken the lords is to sail to the end of the earth and leave one of their crew behind. Reepicheep obviously volunteers for the honor of reaching the world's end.

After they continue, they notice many strange occurences: the water changes from salty to sweet, there are aggressive merpeople, and they encounter a sea full of lillies. Eventually, the water becomes so shallow that the Dawn Treader can not continue. Caspian proclaims that he and Reepicheep will continue and sail to the world's end. When the crew and children object, Caspian retires to his crew angrily. He soon comes out stating that he has had an encounter with Aslan and that Reepicheep and the children are to continue, and he is to return with his crew to Narnia.

The kids and Reepicheep enter a lifeboat and continue through the lillies. When they reach the edge, which is a wall of water, Reepicheep rows his coracle up the water and is never seen again. The kids get out and wade int the water until they reach a small island with a lamb laying on it. The lamb speaks to them and eventually transforms into Aslan. Aslan tells Edmund and Lucy that they will no longer return to Narnia. He says that they should "know me by another name" in their own world. He then opens a door in the wall of water and sends the children home.