The Wild Girl

The film begins in the 1930s with Ned Giles, a young photographer struggling to find work at the Chicago Tribune. Seeking a 'nose for news,' he learns of an expedition led by the wealthy Huerta family to rescue young Geraldo Huerta, who was kidnapped by Apaches. Ned joins the group, initially acting as a valet to the spoiled playboy Tolley Phillips, whose father is funding the trip. In San Paulo, Ned meets Margaret Hawkins, an anthropology student who has talked her way onto the expedition to study the Apache people. While the main military-led force lingers at base camp, Ned and Margaret find an injured Apache girl, Chideh, in the brush. Margaret convinces the group to take the girl back to her people in exchange for the Huerta boy, hoping for a peaceful resolution. Ned, Margaret, Tolley, his valet Mr. Browning, and two Apache scouts (Joseph and Albert) venture into the mountains ahead of the army. They are eventually captured by the tribe they were seeking. The situation turns dire: Mr. Browning dies from injuries sustained during the journey, and the tribe's leader, Indio Juan, plans to execute the men. In a bizarre turn of events, Chideh performs a marriage dance with Ned to save his life, as tribal law forbids killing a woman's chosen husband. Realizing the Mexican army is approaching to slaughter the tribe, the group plans an escape. Tolley Phillips, seeking to finally prove he is a 'gentleman' and a hero, sacrifices himself by distracting the guards, leading to his death. Ned, Margaret, and the scouts manage to rescue Geraldo Huerta and return him to his father. However, in the final resolution, Margaret chooses to stay behind with the Apache tribe to document their vanishing culture before the army arrives, effectively ending her budding romance with Ned. The film concludes years later with Ned as a successful photographer in Chicago, meeting with Tolley's father to share the story of his son's ultimate heroism.