故事发生在十六世纪的西班牙，彼时，西班牙和英国正在激烈的交战之中打得难舍难分。英国舰队的舰长理查（LynHarding饰）和其子迈克尔（劳伦斯·奥利弗LaurenceOlivier饰）遭到了地方的俘虏，然而理查和西班牙海军上将瓦德斯（CharlesCarson饰）是多年的老友，于是将迈克尔送到他家，自己却死在了敌人的炮火之下。在瓦德斯家，迈克尔遇见了瓦德斯的女儿辛西娅（费雯·丽VivienLeigh饰），辛西娅爱慕着英俊有为的迈克尔，但迈克尔却怀揣着满腔对于敌人的愤怒回到英国效忠女王。之后，迈克尔隐姓埋名，乔装打扮来到西班牙执行卧底任务，被国王安排住在希拉里（詹姆斯·梅森JamesMason饰）家中，没想到却在此遇见了已经成为希拉里妻子的辛西娅。

Evelyn Prentice is the respected wife of a high-profile New York attorney. Despite the prestige and status she enjoys, she feels neglected and out of boredom becomes involved with an unscrupulous womanizing poet, who gives her the attention she craves. She eventually finds herself a victim of blackmail and becomes involved in his murder. When another woman is accused of the crime, she begs her husband to defend her.