In Fort Lamy| French Equitorial Africa| idealist Morel launches a one-man campaign to preserve the African elephant from extinction| which he sees as the last remaining “roots of Heaven.” At first| he finds only support from Minna| hostess of the town’s only night club| who is in love with him| and a derelict ex-British Army Major| Forsythe. His crusade gains momentum and he is soon surrounded by an odd assortment of characters: Cy Sedgewick| an American TV commentator who becomes impressed and rallies world-wide support; a U.S. photographer| Abe Fields| who is sent to do a picture story on Morel and stays on to follow his ideals; Saint Denis| a government aide ordered to stop Morel; Orsini| a professional ivory hunter whose vested interests aren’t the same as Morel’s; and Waitari| leader of a Pan-African movement who follows Morel only for the personal good it will do his own campaign.