Character Relationship Map: Gold

Characters

• Rod Slater (played by Roger Moore) — protagonist

  Underground manager promoted to general manager by Steyner. Unaware of the syndicate's plot, he plants a safety charge to block the tunnel in case of a flood. After discovering the mine has breached a...

• Hurry Hirschfeld (played by Ray Milland) — supporting

  Owner of Sonderditch gold mine and Terry's grandfather. He endorses Rod Slater for the general manager position after Steyner's manipulation. Following the successful rescue of the trapped miners, he...

• Manfred Steyner (played by Bradford Dillman) — supporting

  Son-in-law of the mine owner and a member of an international syndicate plotting to flood the mine to manipulate gold prices. He hires Rod Slater as general manager and secretly allows Slater's affair...

• Big King (played by Simon Sabela) — supporting

  A trusted indigenous worker at the mine. When the tunnel floods and traps a thousand workers, he accompanies Rod Slater into the dangerous underground tunnels. He sacrifices his own life to manually d...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Hurry Hirschfeld → Manfred Steyner (Family Son-in-Law) — Steyner is connected to Hirschfeld through marriage into the mine-owning family.

  The plot identifies Manfred Steyner as the mine-owner's son-in-law, and Hurry Hirschfeld is identified as Sonderditch's owner.

• Rod Slater → Hurry Hirschfeld (Professional Candidate And Sponsor) — Hirschfeld's endorsement advances Slater's professional rise at Sonderditch.

  Steyner arranges circumstances intended to influence Hurry Hirschfeld, and Hirschfeld endorses Slater for the general manager position.

• Manfred Steyner → Rod Slater (Professional Employer And Appointee) — Steyner appoints Slater to the position that enables the syndicate's mining operation.

  After the previous general manager dies in the tunnel collapse, Manfred Steyner interviews Rod Slater and arranges for him to become general manager.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Rod Slater → Big King (Alliance Rescue Teammates) — They form the crucial rescue partnership during the disaster.

  After the mine floods, Rod Slater and Big King descend together into the tunnels to reconnect the safety charge and save the trapped miners.

Story Analysis

An unwitting mine manager confronts a price-manipulation conspiracy and risks his life to save workers trapped by a deliberate flood.

Plot Progression

1. A Mine Built On Deception — A tunnel collapse exposes a hidden plan to manipulate gold prices by flooding Sonderditch. Steyner recruits Slater to occupy the vacant management position.
2. Promotion Into The Trap — Steyner secures Hirschfeld's endorsement and Slater becomes general manager. Slater follows drilling orders without knowing the syndicate's purpose, while secretly preparing a safety charge.
3. The Flooding Conspiracy — Steyner uses Slater's absence as cover while drilling continues. The final breach releases the water reserve and traps a thousand workers underground.
4. Descent Into The Flood — After hearing the disaster on the radio, Slater returns to Sonderditch. He and Big King descend into the flooded tunnels to reconnect the safety charge.
5. Sacrifice And Reckoning — Big King detonates the charge and saves the trapped miners at the cost of his life. Slater survives, while Steyner is killed after the syndicate's plan fails.