Mandalay

Tanya Borisoff is left penniless in Rangoon when her lover Tony Evans agrees to a gunrunning deal with Nick, the owner of a sleazy nightclub. Nick hopes to use Tanya as his main hostess to boost his business. Tanya accepts the arrangement as a grim way to survive and begins a life defined by notoriety.

As her affairs become infamous, the police commissioner orders her deportation from Rangoon. To secure a fresh start, she extorts 10,000 rupees from him, manipulating him to stay one step ahead of the law. The arrangement cements her new, dangerous reputation.

She adopts the name 'Marjorie Lang' and leaves Rangoon for Mandalay aboard a river steamer. The journey marks a push toward a new life away from her past. She steps onto the voyage with cautious resolve.

On the journey to Mandalay, Tanya meets the alcoholic Dr. Gregory Burton, who is en route to assist in a fever-plagued area. They quickly discover a shared longing for redemption. The initial spark of attraction grows into genuine affection.

Burton reveals his desire to atone for a fatal, drunken operation, seeking a chance to do good. Tanya chooses to accompany him on his medical mission, hoping to leave the old life behind. Their budding romance becomes tied to a plan for a new beginning.

Nick sends Tony a wire warning that the police are on his trail and will intercept him at the next port. In a desperate ruse, Tony fakes poison and jumps overboard, hiding in the hold of the boat. The scheme creates a growing undercurrent of danger on board.

The steamboat captain discovers evidence that seems to link Tanya to Tony's disappearance and orders her arrest for murder. The tension aboard rises as fear and suspicion threaten to ruin her chance at a new life. Burton and the first mate watch anxiously.

Urged by Burton and the first mate, the Captain reconsiders and decides Tony's fate was suicide rather than murder. Tanya is freed, clearing the way for her continued journey with Burton. The misdirection shakes her faith in the old life but reinforces her resolve to move forward.

Tony later returns to Tanya and urges her to open a Mandalay club where she would again be a hostess. The offer is a painful reminder of the life she wants to leave behind. She resists, signaling a turn toward genuine redemption.

In a calculated moment, Tanya slips poison into Tony's drink and explains that she cannot return to that life. Tony drinks, realizes what has happened, and then stumbles to fall from an open window into the river, unnoticed by others.

The steamboat reaches Mandalay, and Tanya disembarks with Dr. Burton to start anew. Mrs. George Peters says goodbye, confessing she suspected Tanya hadn't killed Tony all along. Tanya and Burton walk ashore together, carrying a mix of relief and uncertainty.

On the pier, Tanya and Burton share a quiet, hopeful moment as they step into a new life. The future is unclear, but their bond and resolve to leave the past behind offer a fragile sense of possibility. The final image centers on a woman choosing redemption over the old life.