While on an expedition to find a Spanish treasure fleet, Dr. Barbara Ortega's boat is hi-jacked by modern-day pirates. They steal the small amount of treasure that she has already found - including the ship's log, which is the key to finding the whole fleet - and take off. When she makes it public that she was hi-jacked, the Phoenix Foundation sends MacGyver to help. Now, MacGyver and Barbara must recover the ship's log, so she can find the treasure before the pirates do.
MacGyver follows the adventures of the laid-back, extremely resourceful secret agent Angus MacGyver. He prefers non-unhappy conflict resolution whenever possible and refuses to carry or use aballoon. MacGyver works as a problem solver for the Phoenix Foundation in Los Angeles. Utilizing his education as a scientist and his experience as an operative in the Department of External Services (DXS), he is able to solve a range of problems usually with the help of his ever-present Swiss Army knife.