In this true life murder mystery, we know early on "whodunnit" (the butler, actually), but the surprising charm in the story stems from the fact that the lawyer is honest and morally upright. The story of William Marsh Rice and his legacy, Rice University, where much of the film was shot.

Dr. Beverly Owens (Charity Merrill) survives a space shuttle crash landing in an African terrorist nation unfriendly to the United States. She is taken prisoner by Akmed Najah (Charles Charpiot) who seeks to use a new satellite's plutonium payload as material for a nuclear weapon. The U.S. President (Warren Chaney) sends covert CIA operative Bill Murphy (William Brown) to ask aerial flight ace Zach Taylor (Chuck Stockdale) to lead a secret in-country search and rescue effort.