Tod and Buz are in the American southwest working for the exploratory mining operation owned by Fred Durant. Driving through Monument Valley, Tod and Buz stumble across Jack McConkle, an old time prospector, who believes he has struck proverbial "gold" for the first time in his life in the form of a deposit of valuable beryllium, which is what Durant is looking for. Jack figures the deposit is worth millions. Tod in particular takes an instant like to Jack and his exuberance, and he and Buz do whatever they can to get Jack into town so that he can register his claim. But Jack's find places him at odds with Durant, who will do whatever he can to stake the claim for himself wherever it is located. At the risk of their own lives at Durant's wrath, Tod and Buz decide to help Jack in the matter, and complete what Jack may not be able. But as Tod and Buz get closer to discovering where Jack's claim is, which he has not yet been able to register, they may befall the same "illness" as all the others, namely the prospect of extreme wealth solely for themselves. Complicating the situation is Buz's relationship with a seductive beauty named Wendy.
—Huggo