Dan Hardesty, William Powell, is an escaped murderer sentenced to hang and on the run. In a crowded Hong Kong bar, he literally bumps into Joan Ames, a terminally ill woman whose friends are wishing her bon voyage. It is love at first sight, and their meeting sparks a connection that feels fated. In a line that will become a personal ritual for the pair, they share a Paradise cocktail, then Dan breaks the bowl of his glass, followed by Joan; together they leave the stems crossed on the bar, a small, defiant sign of their growing bond.
San Francisco Police Sergeant Steve Burke, Warren Hymer, corners Dan at gunpoint as the bar scene unfolds, and escorts him aboard an ocean liner bound for San Francisco—though the moment is staged so that Joan won’t see. Dan dives into the sea, dragging Steve with him, seizing the handcuff key from Steve’s pocket and breaking free. He spots Joan among the passengers, watching the waves and the horizon, and chooses to rescue the trapped, non-swimmer Steve rather than escape. Once the ship is underway, Dan persuades Steve to remove the cuffs, and a fragile alliance begins to form between two men who will both carry secrets.
Across the month-long voyage, Dan and Joan fall deeper in love, each unaware that the other carries a life-threatening truth. Their romance is shadowed by the danger of Dan’s past and the precarious future of Joan’s health. Two of Dan’s friends also share this journey: Skippy, the pickpocket, and the con artist known as "Barrel House Betty," who masquerades as Countess Barilhaus. The Countess, portrayed by Aline MacMahon, is a deft distraction as she helps Dan navigate the ship’s corridors and ever-watchful eyes.
The voyage threads through moments of danger and tenderness. Just before Honolulu is reached, Steve has Dan imprisoned in the brig, but the duo’s allies manage a daring escape, and Dan lands ashore to set up a new escape plan on a steamer leaving that night. Joan intercepts him just as he’s leaving the ship, and they share a day of quiet, imperfect happiness. Yet when they return to the dock that evening, Dan begins to tell her why he cannot return to the ocean liner, and she faints. He carries her aboard for medical help and remains by her side, sacrificing his chances to flee. Joan’s doctor later reveals to Dan the grim truth about her condition: the slightest shock or excitement could be fatal. With honesty at the center of their bond, Dan opens up about himself to the doctor, accepting the consequences of his past.
Meanwhile, Steve’s relationship with Countess Barilhaus deepens. He awkwardly proposes to marry her, dreaming of leaving the police life behind to settle on a chicken ranch he owns. Betty had confided in Skippy about giving up it all to pursue that ranch life, a dream that now plays against the reality of their intertwined fates. The Countess’s true identity lingers just out of reach, but a telegram arrives from Steve’s boss, ordering him to bring Barrel House Betty in. He chooses not to reveal the truth, clinging to the idea of a future with her, and the couple shares a kiss before Steve discards the telegram for good.
The voyage concludes with a plan to meet again on New Year’s Eve at a bar in Agua Caliente, Mexico. When the moment arrives, the scene is almost surreal: the dance floor is crowded, but the long bar sits empty except for Skippy at one end and two bartenders at the other. A sudden crash of glass breaks the stillness, and the bartender’s eyes fall on the crossed stems and the shattered pieces of two cocktail glasses resting on the bar. They glisten for a moment, then vanish, leaving behind a haunting image of what might have been and what will forever be a memory of a love tested by fate.
