When young Sandy steps in to help an injured dolphin, his father opposes his wish to keep the dolphin, Flipper, after he recovers and gets Sandy to return him to the sea. But when Sandy's life hangs in the balance as the result of a shark attack, the loyal Flipper races to rescue his friend.
As they end up in the Bahamas, Sandy and Flipper come upon some criminals who have taken a British family hostage, so the duo tries to find a way to save the family.