Directed by Herman C. Raymaker in pseudo-documentary fashion, it is based on a screenplay by Ferrin Frazier, who adapted Lowell’s supposed autobiography, The Cradle of the Deep, later revealed to be a work of complete fiction.

Young, single Joan Lowell leaves for a sea adventure, destination unknown, with her father, Nicholas Wagner, as the captain, and two additional crew, William Sawyer and Otto Siegler.

Lowell and Sawyer row a dinghy to a tiny nearby island, where they meet a solitary native, who gives them both coconuts and fresh water.

Secretly Manola trails them up river, not trusting Lowell at all, who has lied to everyone and seeks to break tribal taboos the natives believe will bring them misfortune in her hidden pursuit of booty.

The screenplay was loosely framed around a swashbuckling life described by Lowell in her 1929 book, Cradle of the Deep, which at the time of its publication was advertised as an autobiography.

Several marketing schemes were put in place to coincide with the film's opening, including a newspaper essay contest with the winner receiving a free trip to Haiti, fashion tie-ins featuring Joan Lowell, and theater lobbies decorated in jungle motifs.

[11] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle gave the film a mostly negative review, mostly due to the amateur nature of the actors, but they did compliment the photography, calling it "excellent", but a wasted effort.