DreamWorks Pictures has acquired the first novel by writer M.L. Steadman entitled The Light Between Oceans for a feature adaptation. David Heyman will produce alongside his Heyday Films partner Jeffrey Clifford, with Rosie Alison executive producing.

The story is set on an Australian island after World War II, centering on a lighthouse keeper and his wife who find a boat washed ashore with a dead man and a two-month-old infant. They face unexpected consequences when the couple decides to raise the child themselves. Here's what DreamWorks executive Stacey Snider had to say about the novel.

"M.L. Stedman has crafted a visually stunning and emotionally harrowing love story with a confounding moral dilemma at its center. We were completely transfixed by the story and instantly imagined it as a sweeping, classic film. David Heyman is an ideal partner to bring Stedman's story to the screen."

The novel was published in July by Scribner, appearing on both The New York Times and USA Today's best seller lists.