Catherine and her husband Roberto, a game hunter, live in East Africa. She dislikes hunting, but the safaris Roberto organizes for his wealthy clients allow them to live in affluence. One day Roberts gets seriously injured by a leopard in a hunting accident. Pilot Gordon Coburn takes him to the nearest hospital. Catherine is fascinated by the silent and adventurous man. The two of them cannot resist the magical attraction they feel for each other. Catherine splits up with Roberto and starts a new life with Gordon. While Catherine is giving birth to her daughter, Gordon becomes involved in a terrible accident: On his flight to a Massai settlement, the headlights of his Cessna break down. Gordon is forced to follow another aircraft in order to touch down. But the children that run behind the first plane on the runway get caught by Gordon's Cessna. Four of them die. Gordon keeps the accident secret, but the experience awakens the dark side of his soul.