Briefly describe the problem that Pi faces.

The problem that Pi faces is a matter of survival. After a shipwreck, he finds himself stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean, sharing the small space with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The problem is twofold: he must find a way to survive in the open ocean with limited resources, and he must also figure out how to coexist with a dangerous predator. His struggle for survival against the elements and the tiger forms the main conflict of the story.