Maria Vargas(艾娃·加德纳 Ava Gardner 饰)一个美丽、敏感、渴望爱情的西班牙女子,本在一家酒吧跳舞。被美国导演Harry Dawes(亨弗莱·鲍嘉 Humphrey Bogart 饰)挖掘,带到好莱坞,成了万众瞩目电影明星。但她却与投资Harry电影的老板Kirk Edwards矛盾重重,后又和南美洲的富人Bravano纠缠不清。直到她遇见深爱她的那个男人——伯爵Vincenzo,两人终于结婚,但悲剧却无法避免。就如Vincenzo的家族格言一样:该来的,总会来。美人已逝,空留遗憾。At Maria Vargas' funeral, several people recall who she was and the impact she had on them. Harry Dawes was a not very successful writer/director when he and movie producer Kirk Edwards scouted her at a shabby nightclub where she worked as a flamenco dancer. He convinces her to take a chance on acting and her first film is a huge hit. PR man Oscar Muldoon remembers when Maria was in court supporting her father who was accused of murdering her mother. It was Maria's testimony that got him off and she was a bigger star than ever. Alberto Bravano, one of the richest men is South America, sets his sights on Maria she goes off with him - as much to make Edwards angry as anything - but he treats her badly. When she meets Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini they fall deeply in love. They are married but theirs is not to be a happy life.