Allan Quatermain, an experienced hunter and guide, reluctantly agrees to help Elizabeth Curtis and her brother John Goode search for her husband, who disappeared in the unexplored African interior while searching for the legendary titular mines. They have a copy of the map he used. A tall, mysterious native, Umbopa, joins the safari. Allan has no use for women on a safari, but during the long and grueling journey, he and Elizabeth begin to fall in love.