A 63-year-old blind American biologist collects shells and snails in Kenya. By accident, a visiting American woman suffering from malaria gets bitten by one of his cone shells; the venom miraculously cures her. A native family brings their daughter with malaria to the shell collector upon hearing the news. The shell collector insists that the venom has the potential to be more dangerous than curative, but the family begs him to help. The sting cures the child, also. Then, people from all over the world begin to visit the shell collector's isolated home, including his own son who he hasn't seen in years. The son wants the shell collector to take advantage of the situation, but the shell collector remains adamant that there is more danger than benefit in stinging people. Sure enough, many experience death upon being stung by the cone shells, including the shell collector's son himself. Slowly, visitors decrease except for two reporters, both named Jim, who have come to write an article about the shell collector. While out looking for a cone shell to show the reporters, the shell collector gets stung by one, is paralyzed, and has a near-death experience. The young native girl he'd cured earlier finds him and nurtures him back to health. A year later, he goes back out to collect shells and finds one that belongs to a blind snail, inching its way through the sand.