In 1936, American archaeologist Indiana Jones retrieved a golden idol from a trap-filled temple in Peru. However, his rival archaeologist, René Belloq, cornered him and stole the artifact. Jones managed to escape by boarding a waiting seaplane just in time. Upon returning to the United States, Jones was briefed by two Army intelligence officers, who revealed that Nazi forces were conducting excavations in Tanis, Egypt. One of the intercepted messages mentioned Jones's former mentor, Abner Ravenwood. Jones deduced that the Nazis were searching for the Ark of the Covenant, which Adolf Hitler believed would make his army invincible. The intelligence officers recruited Jones for the mission, tasking him with recovering the Ark before the Nazis could seize it.