As writer Harry Street lies dying from an infection after a hunting accident while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, he feverishly reflects on what he perceives as his failures at love and writing. Through his delirium he recalls his one true love Cynthia Green whom he lost by his obsession for roaming the world in search of stories for his novels. Though she is dead, Cynthia continues to haunt his thoughts. HIs neglected wife Helen tends his wounds, listens to his ranting, endures his talk of lost loves, and tries to restore in him the will to fight his illness until help arrives.