Following his grant money, despondent and recently widowed anthropologist James Krippendorf must produce hard evidence of the existence of a heretofore undiscovered New Guinea tribe. Grass skirts, makeup, and staged rituals transform his kids in the Shelmikedmu, scholars are enthralled by a civilization whose customs. But when a spiteful rival threatens to blow the whistle on Krippendorf's ruse, he gets into the action too.