The Hidden City

While photographing jungle wildlife near the Hidden City, American Dennis Johnson notices a young man swinging by on a vine. When his driver, Hadji, comments that he has heard stories about Bomba, a jungle boy who lives in the trees, Johnson decides to consult the emir, Hassan, about the matter. Hassan is collecting taxes when Johnson arrives, and explains that he became emir after his successor was killed by invaders during a war. Raschid, a poor man from a neighboring village, interrupts the conversation and offers to give Hassan his daughter Zidah so that she can take the place of a harem girl who recently escaped, and Hassan accepts. Johnson then asks for permission to track Bomba down, and although Hassan claims to have no idea who the boy is, he agrees to assist. After Johnson leaves, Hassan expresses concern about the expedition to his aide, Abdullah, who assures him that Bomba will not be taken alive. The next day, the search party locates Bomba, and when Abdullah throws a knife at him, the injured boy dives from a rocky ledge into the lake below and escapes. Later, while the maidens in Raschid's village are eagerly preparing for Hassan's visit, Bomba floats up on a makeshift raft, and Zidah takes him home and binds his wound. Hassan orders Zidah to accompany him to the Hidden City, but when Zidah returns to her tent and finds Bomba missing, she flees into the jungle. Raschid publicly blames the boy for Zidah's disappearance, and Hassan orders that Bomba be hunted down and dealt with harshly. Meanwhile, Zidah catches up to Bomba in the jungle, and he reluctantly lets her stay with him. The next morning, Zidah tells Bomba that although she knows Raschid is not really her father, she has no idea who she really is. Bomba believes he knows Zidah's real identity, but before he can tell her, Johnson and Hadji appear, and Bomba flees. Hassan and his men soon arrive, and Zidah is taken back to the Hidden City, which seems inexplicably familiar to her. Hassan orders Abdullah to disable Johnson's car to prevent him from going to the authorities, and Raschid watches as Abdullah removes a piece from the engine. Meanwhile, Bomba subdues one of Hassan's guards and goes to see Zidah, but is then discovered by Abdullah's men while hiding in the storeroom. While Abdullah is flogging Bomba, trying to find out how much the boy may have told Johnson, Raschid tells Johnson and Hadji about their car, and Zidah takes them to the storeroom. After Johnson and Hadji tie up Abdullah, Bomba tells them that he once saw Hassan shoot a man and woman, whom he identifies from a photograph on the storeroom floor. Johnson recognizes them as the former emir and his wife, and Zidah realizes they were her parents. With Hassan and his men in pursuit, Johnson and the others flee to the jungle, where Hassan falls into the lake and is eaten by alligators. As they prepare to depart for the coast, Johnson and Hadji tell the grateful citizens of the Hidden City that Zidah will be their temporary ruler. Promising to come back to visit her, Bomba returns to his home in the jungle.