[1] A British travel writer/explorer, Tahir Shah, and documentary filmmakers David and Leon Flamholc, join forces to go on an expedition to Peru in search of Paititi, the Inca lost city of gold.
[1] Things do not go as planned, and on their first attempt, they are forced to give up due to two main setbacks: terrible conditions and troubles with their guide, American survivalist Vietnam-war veteran Richard Fowler.
[1] Tensions begin to arise between the two, in part over the difficulties in transporting the amount of camera equipment carried by the film crew, and ultimately Shah leaves the Flamholcs stranded as he continues the journey on his own.
"[2] The director's voiceover is alternated with diary notes written by Shah during the journey throughout the jungles of Peru, which indicate growing tension among the crew, depicting the hired guides as unreliable and highly dangerous.
[2] On his personal website, Shah states that "We spent seventeen weeks in deep jungle, attempting to glean information from the local tribes, and in particular from one tribal member, Pancho, who claimed to have seen a fabulous lost city in his youth, while searching for new hunting grounds.