Plot summary

This is based on a true story of a group of three friends traveling in South America, Yossi (Israeli), Kevin (American) and Marcus (Swiss) who meet a stranger, Karl (Austrian) who claims to be a unique guide that promises to bring the trio to a lost Indian tribe deep in the Amazon jungle. After a little convincing from Karl, Yossi and his friends decide they will go on this adventure to see this rare site. They take some supplies and plan to restock at a village along the way. On their way to their first stop, things seem to be going rather smoothly. They trek through the jungle led by Karl. and soon they arrive at the village where they planned to stop and restock before continuing on to find the lost tribe. While they are here the young men are each off taking part in their own activities. Kevin is taking photos, Marus is providing some medical care to the locals and Yossi and Karl are enjoying the local customs and culture. The three young men take to the river to clean up and wash from their time in the jungle. They soon realize they are the main attraction of the local village woman, many whom they assume have not seen many white men before, especially nude. The chorus of local woman give a giggle as the boys cover their parts and sheepishly wave.The group says their goodbyes to the villagers and head back into the jungle on their way to see the lost tribe. While hiking through the jungle the group starts to struggle. They are running low on supplies including food so Karl shoots a monkey from a tree it falls to the ground still not dead so he proceeds to beat it to death which disturbs the others in the group. Karl claims he has done it to save bullets. The group sets up camp for the night and Karl serves his recent kill. However, Marcus is disgusted and cannot bring himself to eat any of the meat. This starts to create a ripple in the group. Kevin feels Marcus is too weak for adventures like this but the next morning the group carries on.With the rainy season on its way, Karl wants them all back before this happens, but they still have several days of hiking ahead of them. Pushing on the group endures rainstorms, slogging through the thick jungle, fear of predators while trying to survive on their dwindling supplies. During this time, Marcus' feet start to breakdown and he is struggling to walk and keep up with the others. During one of their stops, Karl gives Marcus some tips on how to care for his feet so they can continue on. Seeing his feet blistered, bloodied and raw, his friends see how bad things are and offer to carry Marus' gear going forward. Still trying to continue forward the group reaches a point where it is near impossible for Marcus to walk. Both Yossi and Kevin offer to carry him the rest of the way. Karl shoots down this idea and proposes that he go on alone and then send back help for them. Kevin does not accept this; he does not want their so-called guide leaving them in the jungle alone with almost no supplies. The group then has the idea to raft down the river they have been following. After arguments from Karl they take a vote, the raft idea wins 3 to 1. Wasting no time the team gets to work on constructing a raft and Karl even carves paddles for them to use to row and steer. While working on the raft Yossi is stung by a fire ant and yells in pain. Karl comes over and informs him that it was only a simple fire ant. He then shares that this species of ant has been used as a method of torture and it had the power to make this being tortured "see god".With the raft complete the group reviews their plans one last time and Karl reminds them all that while on the river they must do whatever he says in order to survive. Quickly, they hit a patch of rapids. Karl barks orders for them all to follow but Kevin fights back as he knows that in doing so they will not make it through the rapids. The two get into a small fight before Yossi jumps between them to break the two apart. Once they regain control of the raft they pull ashore where Karl immediately storms off into the jungle. Marcus tries to make Kevin go after him and apologize as he is their guide and the only one how knows where they are. Kevin refuses and tells the other that he can tell Karl has never been on a river in his life - that he can't read the river at all. He even goes a step further saying seeing Karl's eyes while they were in the rapids he believes Karl doesn't know how to swim. Unsure of what to make of the situation Yossi knows someone must go find their guide so he heads into the jungle to find Karl. He soon spots him and Karl shoots almost Yossi who is stunned and scared. Karl says he was just scaring off a jaguar, but that it was gone now. Leery of Karl even more so, the two head back to the river's edge where the party makes camp for the night.The next morning Karl states he will not go back on the river and will take the three-day hike from here. No longer caring about what is tour does he says they can hike with him or go back on the river. Right away Kevin knows he will stick to the river and Yossi, who is still eager for adventure wants to continue on with Kevin, but knows that Marcus will want to come and at this point, he feels that Marcus is too soft and might spoil their adventure. Still, Yossi and Marcus talk about their options. Yossi initially proposes that Marcus must take the raft due to the condition of his feet, but since they cannot let Karl go on alone, Yossi will go with him. Marcus then shares that since they have been able to rest their feet, his own have healed and he would rather walk with Karl. Relieved, Yossi agrees to go with Kevin and for Marus and Karl to continue on foot. Before parting the party reviews the map where Karl highlights important spots on the river the boys will need to be ready for. They split up the supplies they have left, which Karl insisting Kevin and Yossi take more than half as on the river they won't be able to hunt and Karl and Marcus can also restock at the local village they had passed through before. Lastly, before heartfelt goodbyes, they promise to meet back up in at La Paz. The friends say their goodbyes and head off in their own direction.Yossi and Kevin are rafting down the river, enjoying the ride. They conquer their first patch of rapid and are excited and invigorated to continue on. Yossi suggests they pull ashore and make camp for the night but Kevin wants to make use of the daylight and get closer to the section of rapids Karl warned them about. The two causally chat and Kevin asks if Yossi knows what day it is. - he says he thinks it's December 1st. Kevin wonders if he will make it home in time for Christmas. While Yossi is dozing off on the raft suddenly the water becomes rough and the duo realizes they are about to hit the rapids. They attempt to paddle to the small beach Karl told them to stop at but the current is too strong and the boys are unable control the raft. The raft smashes into a boulder in the middle of the river trapping them against the current and rock. Kevin knows he can make it to the riverbank where he can then and then help Yossi to the shore as well. Diving into the current he is lost under the water but soon resurfaces and swims with all his might making it to the rocky bank. Quickly Kevin scrambles to Yossi. He shouts to him telling him to grab the machete before abandoning their raft. Before Yossi can do anything the raft gives way and he is swept away downstream. While being tossed around underwater his head his a rock and he loses consciousness.Yossi wakes up on the riverbank alone. He tries to look around for Kevin and shouts his name but it only echoes in the jungle unanswered. Knowing he must continue on he starts again on his journey, this time alone. After a few days, he stumbles upon his pack. While there's not much in it there are a few key items like his grandfather's lucky charm a small notebook he credits to his survival, the map, and a few other supplies. Also inside is the cocaine Karl had them pack which he takes to search for Kevin but is unable to find him. At night he starts to hear voices, he hears Kevin and Marcus calling to him and he sees Marcus. He points his flashlight at his friend only to realize it was a figment of his imagination. In the night he continues to hear the underbrush rustling and he scans the jungle with his flashlight looking for the cause. It's a jaguar. With little to defend himself with Yossi improvises taking a lighter and an aerosol can to create a makeshift flamethrower which succeeds in scaring off the jungle cat. During the day time Yossi had previously a bump on his forehead but didn't pay it much mind, but it's starting to bother him and he knows he must take care of it. Taking a set of tweezers and digs into the bump and is able to pull out a long black worm-like parasite and drops it into a tin. Disgusted, he attempts to squeeze out any and all the blood, puss and infection out of this wound before covering it up with gauze. Coming to terms with that fact that he must find help for himself and with the map to guide him, he decides he will push forward alone, but he does leave a redrawn version the map with his plans and a few supplies for Kevin who can only hope is making his way down along the river.Hungry, alone and desperate he continues to go down the river. Knowing he must eat, Yossi musters up the courage to pull a snake from a tree and bludgeon it to death for food. He also scavenges what fruit and other items he can. He ends up coming across a couple of eggs which he cracks open only to realize there is a developing baby bird embryo inside. He hesitates and apologies for what he is able to do and he eats the contents of the egg and tosses the empty blue eggshell aside and pushes forward. At this point, his feet are in terrible condition. He removes his socks and shoes to reveal his feet that look much like Marcus' had during their journey. In excruciating pain, Yossi apologizes to Marcus crying that he had no idea the pain Marcus was enduring before. With visible sores on his feet, he admits that he didn't want to be the weakest in their group, but that he was just as scared as Marcus was. Of course, no one is around he hear him, but he still sobs and suffers claiming he deserves this because of his prior actions toward his friend. While back on the move Yossi comes across a shoe print and starts shouting in search of Kevin who he assumes has left the print and hi nearby looking for Yossi. While frantically scanning the jungle for any signs of his friend he spots the broken blue eggshell he cast aside before. He looks back to the footprint and gently places his own shoe into the track only to realize it's his own print, and he has been wandering around lost in circles. He scolds himself for letting this happen, for not staying by the river where he would have been less likely to get turned around. He starts storming off in search of the river he intends to follow. There is a flashback to Yossi and his parents at the dinner table. His father is disappointed and angry that Yossi will be backpacking for a year and tells him he will give him no money to support him. Yossi admits he does not want any of his father's money and his father storms off.Back in the jungle, Yossi is doing his best to press on at day 14. Thunder starts to roll in and soon he is caught in a torrential downpour. Finding some refuge under a tree, Yossi pulls his grandfather's notebook from his bag and clings to it while trying sleep. He dreams of being a high roller gambling in the 1920s. Served delicious foods in a hotel suite, a beautiful woman joins him as they move to the bed. As the scene starts to progress, Yossi is woken up by water falling onto him and he quickly realizes his chosen spot if flooded and floating away. Scrambling he gets ahold of his gearMeanwhile, a pair of locals comes across something that shocks them. They have found Kevin who has washed up near their village around 120 miles from where Yossi is. The two men help him back to their small fishing village where he is able to get the help he needs. Not long after, Kevin is looking well and he is doing all he can to find Yossi. Most of the locals figure Yossi is dead and that Kevin should give up and go home. However, Kevin refuses to believe them, knowing that Yossi would do all he could to survive. He is able to have a pilot fly him over the area where they think Yossi might be. On the ground, Yossi hears the plane. He tries his best to get the attention of the aircraft by waving come red fabric, but they don't see him. In the plane, Kevin complains to the pilot that they are too high to see anything and asks to fly over again but lower. Instead, the pilot says they must go back. Yossi hears the sound of the plane fade into the distance and collapses in emotional agony knowing he may have missed his one chance at rescue, Back at the village, Kevin pleads with the local authorities to help him look for Yossi, to have better more effective searches. The officer shares his doubts about Yossi being alive since he has now been missing for three weeks. However, Kevin won't take no for answer and says if will die looking for his friend if he must. With sympathy, he is referred to a local man who is said to be his best bet in finding his friend. He goes and speaks with, Tico, the local man who brushes him off saying a gringo could not last for three weeks in the jungle. He tries begging the man to help, but still, he refuses. Switching tactics, Kevin asks Tico how much for his boat. The two laugh but then Kevin reiterates, how much for the boat and the two strike a deal and head out to look for Yossi.During this time Yossi is still fighting for survival in the jungle. After coming across the destroyed village he finds a young native woman alone and scared. She is immediately afraid of him and since they don't speak the same language he does what he can to calm her and assure her that is not going to hurt her. He is simply happy to see another human and shares what little he has with her. He just wants to keep her safe and protect her. After giving her blankets and things to sleep in Yossi does one odd thing and lightly pokes the woman's arm. He assures her that he wanted to make sure she was real and he is satisfied that she is. Over the next few days, the two continue on together towards the river's edge when the rescue plane comes back, they will be easier to spot and be saved. Time passes and the two seem to argue and fight - most of it coming from Yossi who is struggling to walk even with the aid of a stick to support him. At night they lay down to get some sleep under a tree. As the camera pans out the native girl fades away and disappears. She is the gone and Yossi realizes she too was a hallucination.Yossi continues to deteriorate both mentally and physically but still fights on. In his dazed stupor, he stumbles into quicksand bog. Grasping for anything around he tries to pull himself out, but the nearby plants are too weak and break before he makes any progress. He abandons his pack to save his own life but realizes he has forgotten his grandfather's notebook. Neck deep in the quicksand he stretches out his arm attempting to reach the notebook but with his movement, he only sinks deeper into the bog. Recalling his actions he tells himself not to move. Flashing back to when he was with his grandfather before he left for his trip and when his grandfather passed along this small but powerful keepsake. He tells Yossi to come back alive. With this echoing in his mind, he wakes back, in reality, face party way into the bog arms now submerged. Still, he decides to fight. With all his effort, he reaches for a handing leaf above him and starts to pull himself free. He curses at the plant demanding it no break on him. Finally, he is able to belly crawl out of the mud where he soon starts to drift in and out of consciousness. His mind keeps echoing that he must get to the riverbank so the rescue team can see him. In his disillusioned state, Yossi spots small skinny tree covered in fire ants just ahead of him. Dragging himself towards the tree, he recalls the jolting pain from the fire ant sting from before and knows what he must do. After dragging himself to the fire ant-covered sapling and managing to stand up, he starts to remove his shirt. At this moment it is revealed how much weight he has lost during his time lost in the jungle. He has withered to skin and bones; his ribs protrude out from under his skin. Yossi is also filthy, caked in layers of dirt, mud, and grime. He takes a moment to hitch his now loose pants tighter around this thinned out waist with his belt before wrapping both his hands around the fire ant infested tree. Shaking the small sapling, the ants fall from the leaves and branches onto Yossi, covering him. Crawling across Yossi's exposed skin, the ants start to bite and sting him, flooding him with jolt after jolt sending Yossi into an adrenaline and pain fueled final surge. His start to stumble quickly through the jungle, hallucinating as he goes. We see his mother reach out for him, hear a man calling for him, a flash of the native girl he thought was real roar at him. We see the moments other moments from his ordeal dart in and out of his vision, his mind. Still, we hear a man calling to him encouraging him to push on through the other voices, noises, and storms. Breaking through the foliage and tangles of the jungle Yossi tumbles on to the river rocks near the swift-moving river he's been searching for and looks up to see the sky. With the strength he has left he takes logs from nearby and he constructs a simple "Y" by the river, settling down between the two upper points with the base almost touching the river's edge. Looking to his side Yossi sees a turtle wondering by at first he sees it as food, grabbing a large rock with intentions to crush the turtle for food. However, he has a change of heart and casts the rock aside and lowers himself down next to the turtle assuring the creature it is okay and it will live. Gazing back up to the sky, Yossi sees the stars and colors in the night sky. His eye well up with tears and he opens himself to the universe it may seem. Out of the sky, a blue butterfly floats down to him and lands on a finger of his our stretched arms and hands. This fleeting moment brings him to tears of joy and he thanks the butterfly as it floats back off into the night.On day 19 we see that Kevin has not given up his search. He and the local, Tico, are still on the river looking for Yossi. The two pull their boat to the riverbank and Tico says they must head back as their small boat cannot continue further upstream against the rapids. He assures Kevin that he has done all that he could in looking for his friend. Begrudgingly and full of disappointment Kevin joins Tico as their lift their boat back into the water. As they do Kevin accidentally kicks a nearby log. As the camera pulls back we see it is the "Y" Yossi had previously laid out., but we don't see Yossi. A woman begins to whisper as we see Yossi partly waking up but he swats it away as if he wishes to continue sleeping. The two rescuers have their boat back in the water and Kevin hops into the boat and starts talking to Tico about turning their boat around. Yossi in his exhausted state recognizes Kevin's voice and peaks his head out from behind a tree root where he had spent the night. Yossi sees the boat with his friend and the local man. They aren't facing him so they have no idea he his there. He tries to call out to Kevin, but it only comes out a whisper. He struggles to get closer to the duo before they are too far down the river. He crawls along the river bank he pulls himself closer to standing, but is it too late; they have started the motor and begin to head back. In desperation, Yossi stands and tries once more to call out. But only a whisper comes out. As Kevin and his compainion are about to turn around the bend in the river Kevin takes one last look to the shore and spots Yossi emaciated, dirty, pale and panting standing there. Kevin immediately shouts to him and Yossi realizes he is saved and crumples to the ground in exhaustion and tears of relief. Tico and Kevin turn around. Kevin rushes to the shore, to his friend who he embraces as Yossi embraces him too. The two men help Yossi into the boat as they head back to the village. Yossi has finally been rescued.As the boat returns to the village, Tico and Kevin help carry Yossi into the village so he can sit and get some water and much-needed aid. The locals are in awe that this young man has survived this whole time, along in the unforgiving jungle. A girl in the villages walks over and give Yossi a flower followed by an older woman in the town who comes and thanks god, as does Yossi. Again, he looks to the sky with a smile. The villagers gather around him and the camera pans up and away from the village to the river and jungle which the two boys had each survived.After fading to black a few lines appear on screen stating that Kevin and Yossi did make it back to La Paz, expecting to reunite with Karl and Marcus, but they were nowhere to be found. Kevin searched for them for weeks but he was unable to find any trace of them. The two were never heard from again. Laster, it was discovered that Karl was wanted by the authorities (Interpol) and had taken other travelers on treks like this before. There was no lost tribe to be found though. No one knows why Karl picked Yossi or why he lead them into the jungle.A few pictures of the real-life people are shown. First is Yossi after he was found; he is skin and bones. Then a picture of Tico, Kevin, and Yossi two days after the rescue. They then show shots of Kevin and Marcus hiking in the Andes, Kevin backpacking in Peru, Marcus volunteering in Bolivia, Kevin and Yoss together in South America. They also have a black and white photo of Karl; date and place are unknown. Lastly, small recent bios for Kevin and Yossi are shown. Kevin is still doing what he loves, photography, and now has a family with a wife and two sons. He also recently wrote his own account of surviving in the jungle. As for Yossi, after 10 years he returned to the same river in the Amazon that almost took his life, and now calls this place home. He worked with locals to transform the area and continues to be an adventurer across the globe. The film ends with a photo of Marcus with the caption "for Marcus" .