Based on the novel by Peter Viertel describing his experiences with John Huston during the preparation for the shooting of the AFRICAN QUEEN, the story depicts the obsession of fictional movie director John Wilson (based on Huston) with the African Bush and his desire to kill an elephant in its bush habitat. The flamboyant and erratic film director chooses arduous locations more to fulfil a personal quest than the young scriptwriter's requirements and the company is isolated in the wildest reaches of Africa.