Set during the Simba rebellion, during the Congo Crisis, the film begins with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., the spearing executions of a group of captured mercenaries, and the gang rape of a French female journalist.

At Mercenary Central an angry Colonel Kimber rebukes the only survivor of the incident, German Captain De Brand.

De Brand has left important documents in the Simba village that contains information on the activities and employers of the mercenaries.

The Colonel agrees, but informs De Brand that his record of performance clearly shows he is incapable of leadership, and appoints African-American Captain Lauderwood to lead the patrol.

As the patrol is unfamiliar with a swamp and desert they have to cross, Lauderwood recruits Carrès, a French gunrunner, for the fee of $15,000.