Have you ever felt like starting again, quitting your nine to five, skipping town and escaping to the desert island of your dreams? Well, that's exactly what Jane, Phil, and their three kids did when they traded their English home for a tropical island they bought online at a bargain price. And a story this promising has to be caught on camera by a reality TV crew who also spotted the islands on sale.

They seem really, really cheap. So you're thinking, What's going on? There's something going on here.

But soon they discover that paradise has its secrets because the locals claim the island belongs to them. And leading the charge is human rights lawyer Maria Acosta, determined to reclaim the Pearl Key Islands for their rightful owners.

I was shocked. These keys happened to be part of the culture and the environment.

And for Jane and Phil, family life is about to take a terrifying turn.

I couldn't believe it. How many people do you know get kidnapped?

As this bitter conflict explodes into a national scandal, Jane and Phil begin to grasp the true price of paradise.

You don't fire at people in that area without some consequence.

And he said, Yes, ma'am, he's dead.

There's pure cold-blooded terror running through me. That guy's dead. He's in a tomb. I know he's in a tomb.

At that moment, I felt I went into a deep black hole.

Everyone seemed stunned about what had happened because it seemed straight out of some terrible film.

From Wondery, I'm Alice Levine, and this is The Price of Paradise, the real-life story of an island dream that ends in kidnap, corruption, and murder. Follow The Price of Paradise wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen everywhere from April the 22nd or binge the entire season ad-free on Wondry Plus. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.