Life Of PiBy: Yann Martel One boy, one boat, one tiger . . . After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen year old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang utan and a 450 pound Royal Bengal tiger. The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary and best loved works of fiction in recent years.