The story of Captain Richard Francis Burton's and Lt. John Hanning Speke's expedition to find the source of the Nile river in the name of Queen Victoria's British Empire. The film tells the story of their meeting, their friendship emerging amidst hardship, and then dissolving after their journey.
Patrick Bergin
as Richard Burton
Iain Glen
as John Hanning Speke
Richard E. Grant
as Oliphant
Fiona Shaw
as Isabel
John Savident
as Lord Murchison
James Villiers
as Lord Oliphant
Adrian Rawlins
as Edward
Peter Vaughan
as Lord Houghton
Delroy Lindo
as Mabruki
Bernard Hill
as Dr. Livingstone
Matthew Marsh
as William
Richard Caldicot
as Lord Russell
