In 1979, an American film crew disappears in an area of the Amazon rainforest known as the "Green Inferno", while filming a Documentary film about indigenous cannibal tribes. The team consists of Alan Yates, the director; Faye Daniels, his girlfriend and script girl; and two cameramen, Jack Anders and Mark Tomaso. Harold Monroe, an anthropologist at New York University, agrees to lead a rescue team in hopes of finding the missing filmmakers. In anticipation of his arrival, the military conducts a raid on the local Yacumo tribe and takes a young male hostage in order to negotiate with the natives. Upon arrival, Monroe is introduced to his guides, Chaco and his assistant, Miguel.