Cheetah

Ted and Susan join their parents at a NASA tracking station in Kenya, and the idea of roughing it on the Savannah seems far from their reality. Their mother’s insistence on staying indoors clashes with Ted’s dreams of adventure. The family settles into a house that feels out of place for them.

Against their mother's rules, the siblings sneak out to explore. There they meet Morogo, a friendly Masai boy who shows them the local wildlife. They also discover they can teach him how to play video games, sparking an unlikely friendship.

One day the mother finds Morogo in their home, and the siblings argue that he could help keep them safe. The parents, hesitant at first, reluctantly agree that Morogo can stay with them. The household begins to adapt to a new and unusual guest.

The trio plays soccer, and Morogo retrieves the ball from a sleeping rhino, prompting Kipoin to scold him for neglecting his duties. Morogo reveals his unease about making new friends who are different. The incident shows the household balancing curiosity with caution in the savannah.

They come across a cheetah cub whose mother has been killed by a poacher. Susan insists they take the cub home, and their parents reluctantly allow Duma to join the family as a household pet. The cub bonds with the siblings and becomes part of daily life at the house.

Six months after adopting Duma, the Johnsons convince the children to train the cheetah to hunt, following the advice of an Australian game warden named Larry. The family learns to balance care for the animal with its natural instincts. Ted and Susan begin to understand the dangers of black-market exploitation surrounding Duma.

Patel, the Indian storekeeper, hires Nigel and the ruthless poacher Abdullah to profit from Duma by racing her against greyhounds. They intend to cash in on betting on the speed of a cheetah in a sport people love. The plan foreshadows the danger the family will face.

The night before Ted and Susan are to leave Africa, Patel breaks into the Johnsons' house to steal Ted's whistle, and the three gamblers capture Duma. The family is unaware of the full danger as they prepare to depart.

The morning after the break-in, the family says goodbye to Morogo, but Ted notices Abdullah's shoe marks and realizes Patel's role in the crime. He tries to convince his parents of the conspiracy, but they remain skeptical. The siblings delay their flight by sending a telegram to their grandmother and begin to plot a rescue.

The children persuade Morogo to help them rescue Duma, and Morogo agrees despite fearing to leave his family. He provides directions to the Jamhuri camp and joins the trio on their perilous journey. The teamwork shows their shared determination to save the cheetah.

The trio reach the camp but are captured by a roaming policeman; they trick him into letting them use a restroom at a gas station and escape. With help from a sheep farmer, they make their way toward Nairobi, clinging to hope that they can reach Duma in time. The sequence shows their resourcefulness under pressure.

The siblings arrive at a Nairobi racetrack just as the cheetah-greyhound race is announced. Ted retrieves his whistle to help Duma accelerate, and she surges to victory, thwarting Abdullah's scheme. The authorities arrest Abdullah and Patel's plans unravel.

Back with their families, they head to Cheetah Valley to release Duma and meet another cheetah. Ted resists extending the family holiday, but Susan convinces Duma to stay with her new companion. The moment cements Duma's place in the Kenyan landscape and family life.

As Duma frolics with a newfound cheetah friend, the siblings recall Morogo's Kenyan adage: 'Though we are far apart, our spirits share the same earth and the same sky.' They watch Duma play and feel a renewed connection to the land and to each other. The ending emphasizes unity across distances.