Mr. and Mrs. Darling live in England with their three children, Wendy, John, and Michael. The children have a Newfoundland dog named Nana as their nurse. Mrs. Darling first learns of Neverland and Peter Pan as she tidies her children's minds. When she spots skeleton leaves in the nursery and Wendy attributes them to Peter, Mrs. Darling becomes alarmed. Then one night, Mrs. Darling encounters Peter, who is accompanied by a tiny light. Peter snarls at Mrs. Darling when he realizes she is a grown-up.
Peter flees the nursery, but his shadow doesn't make it out of the window in time. Mrs. Darling rolls the shadow up and puts it in a drawer. A week later, Mr. and Mrs. Darling are preparing to visit a neighbor's home for dinner. When Michael won't take his medicine, Mr. Darling boasts of his medicine-taking prowess. However, when it comes time for Mr. Darling to drink his own medicine, he dumps it in Nana's bowl and directs her to drink it. She does, but it makes her sad and creep into her kennel. To distract from his shame, Mr. Darling banishes Nana outside. After the Darlings leave for their dinner party, the smallest star in the Milky Way screams, 'Now, Peter!'
Fairy Tinker Bell finds Peter's shadow in the nursery, and Wendy sews it back on Peter. Wendy offers Peter a kiss, and Peter holds out his hand, not knowing of kisses. Wendy gives him a thimble to avoid hurting his feelings. Peter gives Wendy a 'kiss' in return, an acorn button that Wendy will put on a chain to wear around her neck (and will later save Wendy's life). Tinker Bell is quite jealous of Wendy, pulling Wendy's hair to keep Wendy from kissing Peter. Wendy tells Peter she knows many stories, so Peter invites Wendy, John, and Peter to Neverland, tempting them with flying, mermaids, pirates, and the lost boys. Nana knows Peter is there and barks until Mr. and Mrs. Darling leave their dinner party. Mr. and Mrs. Darling see four figures flying about in the nursery and rush up the stairs, but they are too late. The birds were flown.
Peter, Tinker Bell, and the Darling children fly to Neverland. They see a sleeping pirate below, and Peter tells them of Captain Hook, the leader of the pirates. Peter has cut off Captain Hook's right hand. Captain Hook has replaced his missing hand with an iron hook. To avoid being shot out of the air by the pirates' big gun, Long Tom, Tink hides herself and her bright glow in John's hat. The pirates fire Long Tom and wind from the blast blows Peter out to sea and Wendy and Tink upwards. Jealous of Wendy, Tink plots against Wendy and lures her to danger.
The lost boys, the pirates, the Piccaninnies, and the beasts all stalk each other in a continuous loop around the island. When the lost boys hear the pirates singing, they disappear down through seven separate tree trunk entrances into their underground homes. Captain Hook and his bo'sun, Smee, have a talk. Captain Hook reveals a crocodile ate his hand and it now has a taste for Hook. Luckily for Hook, the crocodile also ate a ticking clock and the sound helps Hook avoid being eaten. Hook dreads the day when the clock winds down and stops ticking. Hook and Smee hatch a plan to bake a rich and poisonous cake for the lost boys. Jealous Tink tricks the lost boys into shooting the Wendy bird down from the sky.
The lost boys discover they shot Wendy, not a bird, and are very remorseful. Wendy appears to be dead from an arrow through the heart. After Peter removes the arrow, Wendy moves, and the boys realize she is still alive. The acorn button (kiss) from Peter that Wendy wore on a chain around her neck blocked the arrow. Tink cries when she learns Wendy still lives. Peter is very cross when he learns of Tink's duplicity and renounces her for a week. The lost boys, John, and Michael work together to build a lovely house around Wendy. Wendy agrees to be a mother to the boys and invites everyone inside to tell them the story of Cinderella. This is the first of many joyous evenings for all.
Peter fits the Darling children for hollow trees to reach their underground home. Wendy is so busy with cooking, sewing, and caring for the boys and her pet wolf, she rarely goes aboveground. Wendy doesn't worry about her parents. However, it concerns her that John is forgetting them and Michael truly believes Wendy is his mother. Wendy begins to give John and Michael quizzes on their parents to help them remember. As time goes on, Wendy also begins to forget her parents. Peter has many adventures fighting pirates and Piccaninnies. One of Peter's adventures involved him saving Tiger Lily. Another adventure involved Peter ordering that the Never bird and her nest of eggs were not to be disturbed. The pirates attempt to poison the children with their cake, but Wendy forbids the boys from eating it. Tinker Bell still hates Wendy, trying and failing to send Wendy away from Neverland on a great floating leaf.
Other than Peter, the mermaids in the lagoon avoid the children, never speak to them, and splash them with their tails. One day, as the children nap on Marooners' Rock, something dark and chilly overtakes the lagoon. Peter orders the children to dive. A pirate dinghy with Smee, Starkey, and their prisoner, Tiger Lily, floats into the lagoon. In the darkness, Peter mimics Captain Hook's voice and orders Smee and Starkey to free Tiger Lily. The real Hook arrives, speaking of a plan to kidnap Wendy, John, and Michael. The boys will be made to walk the plank, and Wendy will become the pirates' mother. Hook is shocked when he realizes Smee and Starkey have freed Tiger Lily, and Peter confesses to having impersonated Hook. The children and the pirates fight. Peter and Wendy become stranded on Marooners' Rock with the tide rising. Peter ties the tail of a kite to Wendy, and the kite lifts her to safety. Peter is trapped, too weak to escape the rising tide.
The water rises, and the mermaids retire, leaving Peter to his doom on Marooners' Rock. The Never bird saves Peter from drowning, inviting him into her floating nest. Peter saves the eggs in the nest by placing them into a pirate's tarpaulin. Peter climbs into the nest, using a stave as a mast and his shirt as a sail.
After Peter saves Tiger Lily, the children and the Piccaninnies become friends. The Piccaninnies guard the children's underground home against the upcoming pirate attack. On the night before the big attack, the children play and eat and listen to Wendy's story. Peter fears playing the role of father to Wendy's mother and sees himself more as Wendy's son.
Wendy tells a bedtime story about Mr. and Mrs. Darling and the Darling children flying away to Neverland. In the story, Mrs. Darling always leaves the window open so that the children may fly back. When the children return, they have grown up into adults and the window still stands open. Peter interrupts the story, saying his mother barred his window and replaced him with a new little boy. Wendy, John, and Michael are alarmed at this and decide to fly home. Tink is very excited to be getting rid of Wendy. Peter refuses to come. Then, the pirates launch their attack against the Piccaninnies.
Captain Hook unscrupulously violates long-standing rules of engagement with the Piccaninnies. The Piccaninnies hear the pirates coming and alert each other with coyote cries but are surprised by the nefarious attack. The pirates massacre many Piccaninnies and defeat them. The pirates beat the tom-tom of the Piccaninnies to fool the children into thinking the Piccaninnies have won. The pirates wait next to the hollow logs for the children to emerge.
With the exception of Peter, the pirates snatch the children as they emerge from the hollow trees. The pirates secure the bound children into Wendy's house for transport. Hook discovers lost boy Slightly's secret - that he has whittled his tree larger to fit his growing girth. Hook goes down Slightly's tree, finds Peter asleep, but cannot exit the tree as the door latch is too low for him to reach. Unable to get at Peter, he adds five drops of poison into Peter's medicine, which is in reach, and leaves the underground home. Tink wakes Peter by knocking and tells him of the kidnapping. Peter attempts to take his medicine, but Tink, knowing it poisoned, drinks it first. She is dying, but Peter calls out to all the children and asks to them to clap if they believe in fairies. Enough children clap to save Tink's life. Peter rushes forth to save Wendy and the others.
On board the Jolly Roger, Hook decides that six boys will walk the plank and two will become cabin boys. Wendy is brought out to watch the boys walk the plank. When the tick-tick of the crocodile sounds, Hook crawls away, begging for his pirates to hide him. The boys look over the edge and see Peter climbing up the ship, making the ticking sound.
Earlier that night, Peter encounters the crocodile, and it is no longer ticking. Peter decides to tick to prevent the wild beasts from assaulting him. The crocodile follows the ticking Peter, perhaps missing the sound. Peter forgets to stop ticking as he climbs up the Jolly Roger, so it is a happy accident that he scares the pirates aboard. Peter sneaks into the cabin. Captain Hook sends a pirate into the cabin to fetch a cat, but Peter kills the pirate and crows. Hook sends another pirate in, and Peter kills him as well. A third pirate jumps into the water to avoid being sent into the cabin. Captain Hook ventures into the cabin with a lantern, and Peter blows the flame out. Captain Hook sends the boys into the cabin. Peter sneaks out, frees Wendy, and takes her place tied to a mast. Hook decides there's a Jonah aboard, and decides to throw Wendy overboard. Peter reveals himself, and the boys and pirates battle. The boys defeat the pirates, Peter bests Hook, and Hook jumps into the sea to be eaten by the crocodile. Only two pirates survive Starkey becomes a nursemaid for the Piccaninnies and Smee makes a dubious living by boasting Captain Hook was afraid of him.
Back in London, Mr. and Mrs. Darling have fared poorly while their children are out having adventures. Mr. Darling has banished himself to Nana's kennel. He is even carried in the kennel to work. He becomes a minor celebrity, with people trailing him around and inviting him to dinner (in the kennel, of course). Mrs. Darling keeps the errant childrens' beds aired and leaves the window open for their return. Unbeknownst to the Darlings, the children are on their way home. Peter and Tinker Bell race ahead, and Peter bars the window, wanting Wendy to stay with him. Peter sees Mrs. Darling cry and reconsiders, unbarring the window. Wendy, John, and Michael fly in through the window and slip into their beds. Mrs. Darling sees them but does not believe they are real at first. It is only when she holds them in her arms that she knows they are real. Mr. Darling and Nana join in on the hugs, and the family becomes whole once again.
Mr. and Mrs. Darling adopt the lost boys, but Peter refuses to be adopted. The next spring, Peter returns to collect Wendy for spring cleaning time. Wendy is shocked that Peter has forgotten Captain Hook and Tinker Bell. Other than when Peter comes back two years later, Wendy doesn't see him again until she is an adult and has her own daughter, Jane. The lost boys, John, and Michael all grow up and get jobs. Peter takes Jane to Neverland, and when Jane grows up, Peter takes Jane's daughter, Margaret. This pattern will continue, as long as children are happy and innocent and heartless.
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