"When Xan and his father Peter (Campbell Scott) come across an orphaned cheetah cub, they name their new friend "Duma," the Swahili name for cheetah, and he quickly becomes a member of the family. But when Duma is almost fully grown, to Xan's dismay, his father tells him that it's time to take his friend to his real home before he grows too old to survive in his native habitat. As Peter says, "Duma has to live the life he was born to - or he'll never be fully alive."

"Xan reluctantly agrees, but their plans must be put on hold when his father suddenly falls ill and Xan and his mother (Hope Davis) must move to Johannesburg. When Duma escapes and pays a disastrous visit to Xan's school, the two of them must flee the city to keep Duma from being put into captivity.

"Not knowing where to go, Xan gets an idea - he'll carry out the plan his dad had outlined, taking Duma home to a safe and lush place hundreds of miles across South Africa, over the scorching Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, through the Okavango Delta and into the Erongo Mountains.

"Before long, Xan is piloting his dad's motorcycle with Duma riding shotgun in the sidecar, the wind whipping through his fur, as the two friends speed across the barren desert and into the wildest adventure of both their lives.

"Seeking the comfort of the only shade for miles, the shadow cast by the remains of an airplane wreck, they are confronted by Rip (Eamonn Walker), a mysterious drifter on a journey of his own. While Xan isn't at all that sure he can trust Rip, he has to admit that he's going to need some help along the way... and Duma makes for a pretty menacing bodyguard.

"With some engineering know-how and a parachute from the downed plane, the motorcycle is transformed into an ingenious desert sailboat, and Xan, Rip and Duma are soon racing at breakneck speed across the scorched flats on the power of the wind, until they encounter the untraversable scrub brush of the Kalahari desert and must abandon their craft.

"Entering the lush jungles of the Okavango Delta, Xan finds himself surrounded by danger - lions roaring in the distance, crocodiles gliding beneath the furious rapids of the Thamalakane river, and deadly poisonous creatures crawling through the foliage. But it's far too late to turn back now.