For Miranda Wells, moving to New York to live in Dragonwyck Manor with her rich cousin, Nicholas, seems like a dream. However, the situation gradually becomes nightmarish. She observes Nicholas' troubled relationship with his tenant farmers, as well as with his daughter, to whom Miranda serves as governess. Her relationship with Nicholas intensifies after his wife dies, but his mental imbalance threatens any hope of happiness.
Nina Yakushova (Greta Garbo), comissária do governo soviético, é mandada a Paris para averiguar o comportamento de três representantes do governo que têm como missão negociar uma jóia. Aos poucos sucumbe ao capitalismo e a Leon d'Algout (Melvyn Douglas), um galanteador francês que está apaixonado por ela.
