That Lady in Ermine

Countess Angelina marries Mario at Bergamo Castle as Hungarian hussars led by Colonel Teglash close in on the wedding. The royal ceremony is interrupted by the siege, forcing Mario to flee in a panic to protect himself and the bride. The castle and its future are suddenly placed in mortal danger.

At midnight, the paintings in the ancestral gallery come to life and plead with Francesca to save the castle as she did in the past. Angelina's look-alike watches Teglash's approaching army through a spyglass, realizing the danger closing in. The moment sets the stage for a time-bending rescue.

Francesca observes Teglash through a spyglass as he leads the advancing army. She is puzzled by the portrait of a man wearing an ermine coat but barefoot, which mirrors her own appearance. A growing attraction complicates her mission to safeguard the fortress.

Through a flashback, Francesca appears barefoot in ermine and goes to the tyrannical duke in his tent, then guides him before leaving. The duke is later found slain in his bed with a dagger in his back. Rumor says Francesca killed him because she fearfully falls in love with him.

Disguised as a gypsy, Mario slips back into the castle but is soon captured by guards. Teglash, unaware of his identity, spares his life and makes him his personal gypsy. The strange arrangement blurs loyalties at the heart of the siege.

Realizing Mario's identity, Teglash offers to free him if Angelina dines with him that night. Angelina fails to meet him for the promised rendezvous, keeping her alliance with Mario intact and the colonel's advances at bay. The tension between duty and desire intensifies.

Francesca visits Teglash while he sleeps, triggering a dream where Angelina joins them for dinner and demands a kiss. In the dream, she yields a knife from a roast pig and hurls it at the clock, effectively stopping time. The lovers' bond is sealed in this surreal moment.

In the dream, Teglash and Angelina acknowledge their love as the gallery portraits look on. They rise and fly up, crashing through the gallery roof in a moment of magical union. The moment marks a pivotal crossing of boundaries between worlds.

The next morning, Teglash wakes to find the knife still lodged in the pig and the clock still ticking, signaling that time remains intact. Angelina arrives and tells him she had nothing to do with Mario, while Teglash reiterates his intention to free him. The lovers' complicated loyalties hover over the castle.

Mario appears, and Angelina reassures him that she did not conspire with Teglash. The trio's tangled loyalties persist as the siege continues, though a fragile sense of hope lingers. The fate of the castle hangs on evolving relationships.

Time passes and Teglash mourns the absence of Angelina. He remains isolated with his memories, wrestling with the possibility that their love cannot be realized. The castle's fate continues to hinge on the colonel's longing.

One night, Angelina arrives while Teglash sleeps and settles in a chair near his bed. He revisits his previous dream, while Angelina's presence stirs unresolved feelings. The moment rekindles the tension of love and danger.

In a fateful confrontation, Angelina stabs Teglash with the knife as she reveals that Mario has left her. She proposes they wed, embracing a fate they had long resisted. That night at midnight, the portraits come to life again to celebrate their union with song and dance.