Back from Eternity

The DC-2, operated by a tiny South American airline, lifts off with Captain Bill Lonagan and co-pilot Joe Brooks at the controls. A diverse set of passengers—Jud Ellis, Louise Melhorn, Vasquel, Crimp, Pete Bostwick, Tommy, Professor Spangler and his wife, and Rena—settle into an uneasy routine for the journey to Boca Grande.

At the airport, a local vendor hawks a shrunken head to Tommy, foreshadowing danger ahead. Inside the cabin, Vasquel taunts Crimp while a newspaper article about Tommy’s murdered father is read aloud, ratcheting up tension before the flight.

The plane confronts a violent storm, tossing passengers and crew. Crimp loses his revolver in the turbulence, an oxygen tank breaks loose and crashes through a fuselage door, and flight attendant Maria Alvarez plummets to her death while trying to shield Tommy.

A cockpit fire forces an emergency landing in a remote jungle clearing. The survivors crawl out into a hostile, alien landscape with dwindling resources and rising suspicions about each other’s motives.

Crimp attempts to take charge, but Vasquel reveals he possesses Crimp’s revolver and asserts himself as the logical authority for the stranded group. The power balance shifts as fear and pride collide in the camp.

Crimp renders Bostwick unconscious, steals the revolver, and disappears into the jungle. The group grapples with the missing weapon and the growing danger of a manhunt in the trees surrounding their camp.

Ellis’s self-serving attitude clashes with Louise’s values, and Brooks intervenes when Ellis tries to force himself on Louise. Louise’s feelings shift toward Brooks, while Rena becomes a focal point of jealousy, fueling tense interactions near the camp and stream.

After a fortnight of repair efforts, Tommy wanders into the jungle and is found by Bostwick and Rena. They later discover Crimp’s headless body, a grim sign of the peril and violence stalking the group.

Rena and Tommy hurry back to camp only to be met by a band of headhunters. Bostwick is killed with a poison dart, underscoring the deadly risks lurking just beyond their camp’s edge.

Back at the camp, the survivors patch the engine’s oil leak and realize the plane can carry only five people—Tommy plus four adults—over the mountains. The looming decision forces the group to sort who will ride out the danger and who will stay behind.

Vasquel announces a plan to stay behind and selects Ellis as part of the group to remain, but Ellis lunges for the revolver and is killed by Vasquel. The remaining four prepare to take off with Tommy, moving toward the last leg of their perilous journey.

The plane departs with Tommy and four adults, leaving the others to face the advancing headhunters. Vasquel remains behind and, to spare the Spanglers torture, shoots them with his last bullets before praying as he awaits a brutal fate.