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Wealthy pineapple plantation owner, Richard 'King' Howland (Charlton Heston), is asked to run for Senator of the state of Hawaii, which he proudly accepts and bases his ticket on a vow to fight for equality for all of Hawaii's people, be they white, Hawaiian, or Asian...until he learns that his sister Sloane (Yvette Mimieux) plans to marry Paul Kahana (James Darren), a 100% Hawaiian. Meanwhile, the King himself is having an affair with an Asian woman, Mai Chen (France Nuyen), with whom he has no intention of marrying even though she is pregnant with his child. When Mei Chen's brother Bobby (Marc Marno) attacks Howland and accidentally kills Paul, Sloane has no where to turn but to Paul's half-Hawaiian brother Dean (George Chakiris), and The King finds that his supporters will no longer back his run for Senator.

Diamond Head was based on a 1960 novel originally titled Such Sweet Thunder by American author Peter Gilman. The book was adapted for the screen by Gilman and screenwriter Marguerite Roberts.

Diamond Head, the most famous volcanic crater in the world, is located on the southeast coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu at the end of Waikiki Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Diamond Head was originally named Laeahi ("brow of the tuna") by the ancient Hawaiians.

No. Hawaii (1966) (1966) and Il re delle isole (1970) (1970), although dealing with Hawaii's history, are based on different novels than Diamond Head and have different screenwriters and different directors. Because Charlton Heston stars in both The Hawaiians and Diamond Head, it may seem as though the movies are connected. However Charlton Heston in The Hawaiians portrayed a figure who was old at the turn of the century. He could not be the "King" of Hawaii in 1959 as Diamond Head states.

The Howlands own a private island, Manoalani, that can be reached by private airplane or boat from Honolulu.

Richard and Sloane Howland are brother and sister. Laura Beckett (Elizabeth Allen) is Richard's sister-in-law from his previous marriage to Laura's sister. Richard's wife and his three year old son, Richard Howland III, were killed when they were playing on a beach in Hilo and a 40-foot tidal wave struck, carrying them and over 100 others out to sea. After her sister died, Laura stayed on to help raise Sloane and take care of the household.

Paul and Dean Kahana are half-brothers. They share the same mother, Kappa Lani Kahana (Aline MacMahon). A full-blooded Hawaiian, Kappa Lani was first married to a haole (white man), making Dean hapa-haole (half-white). Kappa Lani's second marriage was to a Hawaiian, making Paul full-blooded Hawaiian.

Richard continues to refuse to acknowledge Mai Chen's baby as his son, so Sloane and Dean take the baby home to raise as theirs. Richard returns from his horseback ride to find the house totally silent. He fixes himself a drink and calls for Coyama (Harold Fong), but there is no answer. He starts up the stairs to the baby's room and notices a tiny sock lying on a step. When he sees that the baby is gone, he realizes that Sloane and Dean must have taken him. He looks out the window across his island but remembers Sloane's previous words, 'It's the most beautiful place in the world. There's only one thing wrong with it...there are no people in it!' Coyama suddenly enters the nursery. Richard picks up the baby's empty basket and says, 'I'm going to get my son...after all, he IS half-a-Howland!' In the final scene, Richard and Coyama load the basket into the car, on their way to pick up Richard and Mai Chen's baby.