Three prospectors find treasure and loss in John Huston's screenplay for his acclaimed 1948 film with Humphrey Bogart, Walter and John Huston and Alfonso Bedoya. This book contrasts the film with the original anticapitalist novel by legendary and reclusive writer B Traven and describes Huston's art.

This is a story of three down-and-out Americans in Mexico who set out to discover gold in the mountains. It is a social fable involving a group of highly individual characters caught up in a search for treasure.