Director Josef Von Sternberg and his greatest discovery,
Marlene Dietrich,
worked together for the last time on this historical melodrama, which
was a notorious and controversial box-office flop in its day. Antonio
Galvan (
Cesar Romero),
a young military officer, meets a mysterious and alluring woman named
Concha Perez (Dietrich) and soon falls under her seductive spell.
Antonio excitedly confesses his love for Concha to his friend Don
Pasqual (
Lionel Atwill),
an older and higher-ranking officer. Pasqual is horrified when he
learns of Antonio's infatuation; years ago, he met Concha, and it was
the start of a long and disastrous relationship in which the
cold-hearted woman would repeatedly lure him into her romantic web,
drain him of his wealth, and then leave him for wealthier prospects
elsewhere.
