In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro

In 1984, a young girl is found alone in the wilderness near Namanga. Jack Ringtree carries her to the local school to determine her origins. The drought gripping Namanga makes every clue feel urgent as water becomes scarcer and tensions rise.

Lee, Jack's wife, arrives in Namanga that night and shares a tense moment with Jack. The couple's private encounter unfolds amid the town's fragile search for answers about the girl. The drought and looming danger overshadow their actions.

A troop of chacma baboons abducts a local boy in the outskirts of Namanga that night. The community realizes the threat posed by the primate raiders is real and immediate. The incident foreshadows the coming attacks.

The next morning, miner Claud Gagnon is mauled by baboons. Grieving, Claud's grandfather asks Jack and Chris to lead a search for his grandson. The rescue party, joined by Maasai women, discovers both the missing boy's body and Claud's body.

The group massacres a troop of baboons to avenge the victims and protect the survivors. Jack also photographs the evidence of the casualties for documentation. The event underscores the scale of the threat confronting Namanga.

Jack and Chris plead with the local district officer, Tshombe, to evacuate Namanga to Nairobi, but he dismisses the request. The town remains under threat with no immediate plan to relocate its residents. The decision deepens the community’s fear and desperation.

Jack travels to Nairobi to seek someone who can eradicate the baboons or provide aid, but authorities dismiss his appeals. The bureaucratic inertia leaves the town vulnerable. The search for help continues to stall.

Two electricians try to fix a broken telephone line, but a baboon troop attacks them. One man is killed, and the other escapes, illustrating how even infrastructure is not safe from the assault. The danger reaches into everyday life.

The next day, Lee is attacked by baboons but saved by Jack. The mining outpost endures another fierce assault as the monkeys surge back with greater ferocity. The community braces for more chaos.

Chris, Jack, and two miners, Odom and Uto, go to the site of a crashed supply truck ten miles from Namanga. They discover looted supplies and a troop of baboons guarding the area. In the danger, Jack is left behind as the others retreat.

Tshombe attempts to fly Lucille out of town, but a stowaway baboon on the plane attacks, forcing a crash that kills Tshombe, Lucille, and the pilot. The flight out becomes a fatal trap set by the baboons.

Chris returns with news of a school attack and sends Odom and Uto to respond. Jack bribes the baboons to gain an escape, then hot-wires an abandoned bus and reunites with Chris. They drive to the school, saving the students and staff. The town barricades inside a local hotel, and as rain finally arrives, the baboons scatter and the drought ends.