A film capsule from an American spy satellite fell on African soil after being accidentally ejected from its mother rocket during a pass over northern Siberia. This event caused concern among Russian satellite trackers, who thought it might be a missile, and then curiosity when they decided that it was a new type of spy satellite. Meanwhile the Americans recruited geologist Alex McCloud, who had previously worked in Africa, to locate the capsule and destroy its highly secret load of film to prevent its secrets from being compromised.Upon his return to Africa, Alex re-encounters Ntana, a beautiful woman from a desert tribe whom he had once rescued from a forced marriage while she was still a young girl. Alex's mission takes him back to the desert in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, where the film capsule was suspected to have fallen, and near the ancestral homelands of his beautiful, captivating friend. Alex's search for the missing malfunctioning film capsule soon becomes entangled in a web of intrigue. His pursuit is fraught with difficulties including a plane crash in the desert and other life-threatening hazards. Ntana insists on helping him in his quest. These problems, interwoven with continued interest from the Russians and some questionable motivation from a few high-ranking American officials, heighten suspense to the end.