A Countess from Hong Kong

Ambassador-designate to Saudi Arabia Ogden Mears sails back to the United States after a world tour. The journey begins aboard the liner as he confronts the tension between his public duties and his private life. He is married and seeking a divorce, and he worries how a scandal might affect his career.

During a layover in Hong Kong, Ogden meets Natascha, a Russian countess who has become a refugee. She is traveling without a passport and seeks to escape a life as a prostitute at a sailors' dance hall. She slips into his cabin in evening dress to hide from her precarious situation.

Ogden dislikes the situation, being a married man who is seeking a divorce. He reluctantly agrees to let Natascha stay aboard the ship. They must figure out how to get her off the ship, and a plan forms to minimize her exposure.

A formal arrangement is made for Natascha to marry Hudson, Ogden's middle-aged valet, providing a legal exit from the ship. Such a marriage would keep up appearances while allowing Natascha to stay ashore. The arrangement exists primarily as a procedural workaround rather than a genuine union.

Hudson, the middle-aged valet, wishes to consummate the relationship, a sentiment Natascha does not share. This creates tension around the marriage plan and foreshadows potential conflicts of interest. Ogden's hopes of resolving the situation become more complicated.

When the ship reaches Honolulu, Natascha evades Hudson and leaps off the vessel. She swims ashore to begin a new life and, for now, escape the arranged marriage plan. The dramatic exit marks a turning point for Ogden's plan and his private life.

Ogden's wife Martha arrives in Honolulu to join the cruise, following Washington's advice to avoid the impropriety of a divorce. Her presence adds pressure to the already tense situation surrounding Natascha's presence.

Ogden's lawyer friend Harvey, who helped arrange the marriage, meets Natascha ashore and informs her that immigration officers have accepted her as Hudson's wife. She will remain in Honolulu for the time being. Harvey's update gives Natascha a temporary sense of security amid the mounting scrutiny.

Martha confronts Ogden about Natascha, speaking harshly about her past as a prostitute and the gangster's mistress, a history she learned from a passenger who had been Natascha's customer in Hong Kong. Ogden counters by asking whether his wife would have fared any better under similar circumstances.

With tensions unresolved, the ship sets sail for the United States, continuing the voyage with the looming complications unresolved. Ogden, Martha, and Natascha each carry their own anxieties as the journey heads home.

After leaving the ship and his wife behind, Ogden goes to a hotel cabaret in Honolulu where he unexpectedly finds Natascha. They share a dance, rekindling an attraction and signaling that their relationship remains unresolved. The moment occurs as he has left the ship and his wife behind.