Act I:
Fade in on Saipan, 1948. Indy staves off Nazis and demonic Spirit of Lovers’ Grotto to recover priceless Laughing Buddha.
Indy returns to northeastern university, where he teaches archeology.
O.S.S. Admiral Louis seeks to enlist Indy in search for Yamashita’s Treasure.
Indy dismisses rumors of vast loot as greatly exaggerated. “I’m fascinated by mythological quests,” avows Indy, citing El Dorado and Atlantis. “Yamashita’s Treasure has all the makings of a modern myth.”
Admiral Louis persists. He says O.S.S. has credible evidence that hoard of jewels and gold does exist.
Indy allows that, if indeed it exists, Treasure threatens balance of global power.
As he explains to museum curator Marcus Brody:
since Old Testament times is
100,000 tons, plus or minus.
Yamashita’s cache would amount
to a quarter to one half of
the known stock –– if it existed.
Whoever gained control would
monopolize international trade.
ADMIRAL LOUIS
The O.S.S. agrees completely
–– except for your little “if.”
More importantly, Moscow,
Red China, and Germany agree.
Indy promises to consider Admiral Louis’s plea.
He commits to quest after Nazis burglarize his office, torch his house, and threaten life of his elderly father in Venice.
Act II:
Indy flies to Penang Island, Malaysia, to interview Samurai-cum-Buddhist monk, whose eyes were gouged after he reportedly helped to bury Yamashita’s Treasure.
On Penang, Indy meets lovely linguist Cheng. Assassination attempt and staged kidnapping yield ambiguous clue in Japanese: “Fire lake! Fire lake!”
Together, Indy and Cheng fly to Manila. There, Padre Aguinaldo demonstrates faith-healing in attempt to convince skeptical Indy of prowess of divining rod. Padre’s aide Rizal takes up baton of persuasion, after faith-healing renders Aguinaldo on brink of unconsciousness:
RIZAL
It’d be a death sentence for any
Filipino to uncover Yamashita’s
secret. Where would he hide
the gold? How could he dispose
of it? And then there’s the . . .
(shudders)
. . . the Curse.
Indy thwarts attempt on his life by grenade-wielding assassin. He requisitions cruiser “Atlantis” for sham diving operations on Manila Bay as red herring,
while U.S. Army-Navy search team diverts to Volcano Island on Taal Lake.
Nazis kidnap Cheng, holding her hostage to ensure Indy’s cooperation.
Act III:
Principals converge on Volcano Island for climactic showdown.
Resolution follows closely on heels of climax.