You start the game with a brief story about the tribe chief who notices that Isola is slowly dying. All this is going in real time, even when you aren't playing. The villagers will have to learn skills to heal the tree and other mysteries in the area. You are responsible for building shelter, gathering food, researching new technology and much more. In Virtual Villagers: Tree of Life, you get to control the lives of your villagers and their children while you investigate the mysterious failing health of the Tree of Life.