A small disparate group of people are aboard a multi-day, multi-stop flight from Mexico City to Buenos Aires. Beyond the crew of pilot, Roberto Beltrán, a loner, his co-pilot Carlos Cervantes who is always looking for love, and Paco the flight steward, the passengers are: spoiled and rich Jorge Mancera and his innocent fiancée Margarita Téllez, who are posing as a businessman and his secretary but who are really running away to elope in Venezuela; elderly Marta Ortos and her henpecked husband, Professor Enrique Ortos, a botanist and anthropologist, the two who probably only have stayed married for as long as they have out of inertia; "Pibe", a young adolescent boy who is traveling with his male nanny, Pedro, ahead of the boy's professional polo playing father who will join them in Buenos Aires on a later flight; Lucy Alcázar, who most of the other passengers believe to be a trollop as a young woman traveling alone; and Sr. Ibáñez, a bounty hunter, who is transporting Sr. Vázquez, a bank robber and murderer, back to Argentina, the country of the crimes, so that Ibáñez can collect his reward and Vázquez face certain execution. On the second leg of the flight, the plane is thrown far off course in a tropical storm, and combined with mechanical difficulties, they are forced to crash land somewhere in the jungle. Those that live through the crash have to band together for their survival, they needing to figure out if the natural order of their civilized lives applies in who will do what, most specifically who will make the important decisions. The plane may be repairable, but as time progresses and they learn of certain hazards in the area, they will have to make some difficult decisions in this matter, and in matters that may affect life or will affect certain death.—Huggo
The dangerous prisoner "Vazquez" (Alejandro Cobo) is being transported back to Argentina from Mexico after being captured during a failed bank robbery by Ibáñez (Carlos López Moctezuma). On the plane transporting him are also two pilots, an elderly couple named Ortos (Antonio Palacios) and Sara García), two women named Margerita (Marión Inclán) and Lucy (Malú Gatica), the child of a sports star named Pibe (Jaime Calpe) and his caretaker Pedro (Dario Cossier) and the wealthy but rude Jorge Mancera (Rafael Banquells hijo). The plane crashes in the jungle during a horrible storm and it takes some time for it to be fixed. Stranded for a month, the passengers alternate between befriending one another and being at each others' throat, especially in Jorge's case as he is very entitled. The plane is eventually fixed but an oil leak means that it can't take off again without falling apart. The cannibalistic natives have discovered the passengers meanwhile and after killing Pedro they plan to kill the rest of the passengers. The drums begin sounding over the hills frightening everyone as they realize what is at stake. The plane can only take off now with five passengers in it meaning some have to be left behind. Vazquez delegates himself as the judge to decide who will stay as he wants to stay because either way, he faces the death penalty for his crimes if he returns to Argentina. The elderly Ortos couple tell him they would like to stay as they are already very old and don't have many years left anyways and Vazquez chooses Jorge to also stay because his duplicitous nature (including attempting to bribe Vazquez with money and a lawyer to get out of the execution should they return) telling him that Jorge isn't worth saving. Jorge attempts to jump Vazquez but Vazquez shoots and kills him. The survivors enter the plane and get ready to go as the natives' drums resound again and bid farewell to Vazquez and the Ortos. Vazquez tells Mr. Ortos that he has three bullets with which to quickly kill the three of them so they wont have to be taken back to the village and tortured to death, even though he only has two bullets in his gun. The Ortos' couple embrace for the final time as Vazquez shoots the last two bullets at them. In the final scene, Vazquez awaits his fate as the natives close in on him while in the sky, the plane flies away to safety.
On a Condor flight between Mexico City and Buenos Aires, pilots Roberto Beltrán (Rodolfo Landa) and Carlos Cervantes (David Silva) have a varied passenger list: Vázquez (Alejandro Cobo), a killer bank robber being returned to Argentina by police detective Ibáñez (Carlos López Moctezuma); Professor Enrique (Antonio Palacios) and Marta Ortos (Sara García), an old married couple; rich, young businessman Jorge Mancera (Rafael Banquells hijo) and his fiancée, Margarita Teyes (Marión Inclán), who are en route to meet his father in Venezuela; a young boy, Pibe Ansovenal (Jaime Calpe), being escorted by Pedro (Dario Cossier), an employee of his rich father; and an adventuress, Lucy Alcázar (Malú Gatica). After a brief stop in Guatemala, the flight continues. While Pibe is asleep, a news report on the cabin radio announces that his father has been killed in a freak accident during a polo game in Mexico City. Marta, who has reared a son of her own, offers to help Pedro with the child. When the plane flies into a terrible storm, losing radio contact, part of the cargo breaks loose and bursts open a door. Paco, the steward, falls out of the plane through the door. At gunpoint, the cowardly Ibáñez then tries to persuade the pilots to turn back, but his gun is knocked out of his hand and falls into Vázquez' possession. Now far off their course and without one of the engines, Roberto and Carlos are forced to crash land in the jungle at night. The next day, Enrique, a botanist, informs them that he thinks they are probably east of the Andes and close to the Amazon, as he has recognized various types of vegetation unique to that area. While the pilots try to repair the plane, the others organize a camp and assume certain duties. Although the radio equipment cannot transmit, it does receive and they hear the news that search planes are looking for them, but they realize the planes are doubtlessly in the wrong area. Vázquez surrenders his gun to the pilots and eventually all go to work to make the plane serviceable again. Lucy learns that Roberto has been jilted recently and becomes more interested in him. For most of the passengers, the crash has afforded them the opportunity to reevaluate their lives. Later, a rain storm enables them to extricate the plane from the tangled undergrowth. Jorge and Ibáñez then get into a fistfight over liquor, of which they are both too fond. On the day that the motors are finally repaired and tested, both Ibáñez and Pibe disappear. Pedro and Lucy find Pibe safe but nearby is the body of Ibáñez, apparently the victim of a fall or of natives who are announcing their presence by drumming. Later, Pedro is killed by the natives' arrows. Margarita, disillusioned by Jorge's behavior, tells him that she no longer wants to marry him. With everyone on board, Roberto and Carlos attempt to take off, but fail. They determine that excess weight is the major problem and, in order to clear the nearby mountains, the plane will have to be as light as possible and therefore only four adults and the boy will be able to leave. Carlos volunteers to remain, leaving the flying to Roberto, and Lucy says that she will stay. However, Vázquez recovers the gun from Roberto and declares that he will decide who will leave. When Enrique tells Vázquez that he and Marta would like to remain behind, Vázquez states that if there were more men like Enrique there would be fewer men like him. For his part, Roberto tells Lucy that he hopes that she will be among those chosen to leave so that she can take care of Pibe, while Jorge offers Vázquez a large sum of money to choose him. Finally, the plane is ready and Vázquez makes his selection: Pibe, Roberto, Margarita and Carlos, who have fallen in love, and Lucy are to leave, and Vázquez, Jorge, Enrique and Marta will remain. The drums start up again as the natives draw closer, and when Jorge tries to attack him, Vázquez shoots him. After the plane takes off successfully, Enrique asks Vázquez to shoot him and Marta before the natives can get them. Vázquez agrees, telling them that he has three bullets left, one for each of them. Vázquez actually only has two bullets, and as the plane disappears safely into the clouds, he kills Enrique and Marta and awaits the arrival of the natives.
