Based on the controversial novella by Balzac, this is the story of a young army officer who becomes stranded in the Sahara desert. Once there, he begins forming a bond with a wild leopard. The leopard saves his life and the two continue to connect, eventually consummating their relationship through a passionate romantic encounter. The sanity of this soldier becomes questionable, as does the link between man and beast, until he is confronted with the choice of which world to inhabit.