Dietrich's screen husband is fatally ill and only an expensive operation can save him. She returns to cabaret life and meets a wealthy playboy who pays for the operation and takes her in return. When hubbie recovers she refuses to face the situation and goes AWOL. A tale of crossed love and a bizarre mixture of fairytale and social-realist drama containing the iconic 'Hot Voodoo' scene in which Dietrich emerges from a gorilla-skin.