When Bill Carey with his fiancee visits Indo-China, he meets Manon de Vargnes (Hedy Lamarr), a beautiful half French half Asian girl escorted by Delaroch. He is so much attracted by her beauty and annoyed by the improper behaviors of his fiancee that he invited her to dance. Manon wants to live in France, but she is repetitively refused a passport because she is not completely French. Bill and Manon meet again at the traditional dance. After Manon helps Bill buy a traditional hat for his fiancee, he spends the whole evening with her and they fall in love. The next day, when Manon has to leave Saigon, Bill breaks his engagement to follow her on the boat, and they marry. 
 
Bill wants to obtain an American passport for Manon so she can go to America with him, but Delaroch, mad by her being married to Bill, did everything to make sure she cannot leave Saigon. In the meantime, although Bill cannot find a job and their money is running out, he refused to leave her behind for any reason. Manon later begs Delaroch for Bill's job and her passport and he accepts in one condition that Manon comes to the opera with him while Bill's away. When Bill returns, he believes that Manon has given herself to Delaroch and betrayed him. Filled with anger, he comes to kill Delaroch while Manon, fearing he would have to go to prison for the crime, comes to shoot Delaroch first, then shoot herself. Bill comes back to find Manon and forgives her because he's still so much in love with her, and he wants to go on the next boat to America right away but it is too late. Manon is dying, being happy that Bill still loves her.