Baker, a private in the British Army in the 1880s, finds himself in the middle of Barash during a siege by Mahdi forces. Finding a boat to escape, he brings fellow soldier Murchison, governess Margaret Woodville and the daughter of an emir, Asua. Travelling down the treacherous Nile River they encounter wild animals, dangerous traders and fearsome tribesmen – and are then drawn into an attack on a Mahdist fort. Also stars Jenny Agutter.