Soldier-of-fortune Rex Mason is abandoned in an Egyptian pyramid by Java, a revived caveman, who acts on behalf of their boss, tycoon Simon Stagg, and retrieves for him the Orb of Ra. Mason is subjected to the rays of a meteor housed within the pyramid and becomes physically transformed into a freakish-looking elemental being who can transform his body into any element in the human form. He returns to America and confronts Stagg, who keeps him away with the Orb of Ra and says that he will use his scientific skill to change Mason back to a normal man again. But this goal is beyond Stagg’s science. After Java vengefully starts a fire within the mansion, Mason uses his powers to rescue his lover, Stagg’s daughter Sapphire. Later, she points out that Mason can use his newfound abilities for the cause of good, until her father finds a cure–if he ever does.