An island in the West Indies. Smithers, a white trader, enters the empty
palace throne room of the island's ruler 'Emperor', Brutus Jones. Suddenly he
spies a lone old black peasant woman. After roughly interrogating her, he
discovers that all the natives of the island have deserted the Emperor and plan
to revolt against his oppressive dictatorship. The woman runs off and Emperor
Brutus Jones enters, wearing an ornate military uniform.
There is tension between the two men as they talk. Jones proudly points out
that in two years he has gone from being first a porter in the United States and
then an escaped convict, to emperor of the island. The two men laugh at how
Jones has fooled the island people into believing he has special powers, and at
how he has fleeced them through heavy taxes. Smithers reveals the news he has
learned from the old woman. When he finally believes him, Jones laughs and tells
Smithers that he is prepared for this. He intends to cross the forest to the
coast in one night and escape with all the money he has accumulated. Smithers
tells him all the horses are gone but Jones says he knows the forest well and
has buried tinned food in secret places. They hear the sound of drums which
Smithers says is a prelude to war. Showing no fear, Jones snatches up his plumed
helmet and stalks out. Left alone, Smithers hopes that Jones will be killed.
The forest at night. Jones has already walked a long way. He stops to rest
but is disturbed by the sound of drums. He jumps up, afraid, but convinces
himself that he is just tired and hungry. Searching under rocks for the food he
hid, he is unable to find it and doesn't recognise this part of the forest.
Fearful again, he sees movement in the trees and shoots, but no one is
there.
Jones wanders further into the forest, wiping the sweat away in the
oppressive heat. He wonders how long he has been travelling and decides he will
laugh at this long night once he has escaped with his money. Suddenly, he hears
the clicking of dice being thrown and is confronted by the apparition of
Charlie, the man he killed during a craps game. Terrified, Jones asks Charlie
whether he is a ghost. Charlie disappears and Jones finds himself reliving the
scene of the dice game where he pulls his gun on Charlie and kills him. Brutus
hears the drums again, louder and closer now. Frightened, he runs on and,
sweating profusely, throws his military jacket away.
He stumbles into a black chain gang, overseen by a vicious white man who
forces Jones onto the gang and beats him. Crying out, Jones goes to attack the
overseer and once more pulls out his gun and shoots.
Shirtless now, Jones stumbles on and on. He discards his shoes, which have
completely worn through. He goes on, the drums ever present, and finds himself
in the midst of a slave auction. A black woman in a ragged dress is
humiliatingly shown off to a group of well-dressed white people. She is sold and
screams when a branding iron is pressed to her skin. Now it is Jones' turn to be
pulled and prodded. Horrified, he grabs his gun and shoots. He flees.
Desperate and terrified, Jones finds himself on a slave ship. Overcome with
horror he cries out and runs away. In a glade, he is confronted by a tribesman
and follows him, although barely able to stand. He witnesses tribespeople
performing a dance around him and, too exhausted to resist, he is
slaughtered.
On the edge of the forest, Smithers berates the emperor's former subjects for
failing to capture him. One of the people motions to him to be silent. There is
the sound of gunfire in the forest. Jones' dead body is carried out and laid in
front of Smithers. The natives lift the body again and carry it away. Smithers,
left alone, peers apprehensively into the dark woods.