A principios del siglo XX Karen Blixen (Streep), una mujer europea de gran coraje, llega a Kenia para dirigir una plantación de café junto a su marido (Brandauer), un mujeriego incorregible con el que no se ha casado por amor. Para su sorpresa, Karen se da cuenta de que poco a poco se está enamorando de la tierra, de sus gentes... y de Denys Finch-Hatton (Redford), un enigmático cazador aventurero.
Dave Smalley buys a lost Archaeopteryx fossil by accident at an auction and uses the reward money for this to buy a share in his landlady's lodging- house. She turns him into an exploited man-of-all-work about the house, but after a lady guest persuades him that he resembles Napoleon he becomes convinced that he is a born leader and mounts a takeover bid to reverse their roles.
