The Man in Grey

In 1943 London, Clarissa Rohan and RAF pilot Peter Rokeby meet during an auction of the Rohan estate. They exchange remarks about the wealth that shaped their families and feel a spark. The auction is halted by blackout restrictions, and they agree to return the next day to continue their introduction.

The film flashes back to Miss Patchett’s finishing school in the early 1800s, where Clarissa is popular yet naive. She befriends the proud junior teacher Hesther Shaw, despite a fortuneteller’s warning about dangerous women. The warning foreshadows the betrayals to come.

Months later, Hesther runs away with a penniless ensign, causing gossip and scandal. Miss Patchett forbids mention of Hesther while Clarissa returns home, choosing loyalty to her friend over propriety. This loyalty shapes Clarissa’s later decisions and isolation.

Clarissa’s godmother arranges a marriage to the wealthy Marquess of Rohan, a notorious rake who seeks only an heir. The couple lead separate lives, bound by wealth and title more than affection. Clarissa becomes part of the Rohan estate’s scheming world.

One night Clarissa goes to an Othello performance in which Hesther plays Desdemona. On the way, a mysterious Rokeby, the actor playing Othello, stops her coach and demands a lift to the theater. This chance meeting kindles a dangerous attraction between them.

After the play, Clarissa hires Hesther as her son’s governess, and Lord Rohan invites Hesther to stay as Clarissa’s companion. Rohan reveals that he knows Hesther’s past—her abandonment of her husband who died in Fleet Prison—yet he remains drawn to her ambition. The arrangement deepens the house’s intrigues.

Rohan openly admires Hesther’s ruthless ambition, and she becomes his lover. Their liaison intensifies the tension between Clarissa and Hesther. The affair signals a perilous shift in loyalties inside the Rohan household.

Clarissa and Rokeby meet again at Epsom Downs, rekindling their bond. A fortuneteller recognizes Rokeby as Clarissa’s true love and warns her again about dangerous women. The oracle’s words deepen the sense of tragedy to come.

Rokeby confesses his love for Clarissa and they plan to elope to Jamaica. The plan promises escape from the Rohan world, but is soon threatened by a confrontation with Rohan. The lovers weigh freedom against the social cost of choosing each other.

Rohan confronts Clarissa and Rokeby in Vauxhall Gardens, and a fight breaks out. The struggle is interrupted by the Prince Regent, who ends the scene and preserves appearances. Rokeby decides to sail to Jamaica alone, planning to summon Clarissa later.

After Rokeby’s departure, Clarissa falls ill and is carried to the Rohan London house. The illness leaves her vulnerable to Hesther’s influence as the household’s dangerous power dynamics tighten. The stage is set for a tragic ending.

Hesther drugs Clarissa, opens the windows on a storm and damps the fire to ensure her death. The plan succeeds, and Clarissa dies in the house, removed from Rokeby and from any chance of happiness. The act completes Hesther’s perfidious ascent in the household.

Toby, Clarissa’s faithful page, reveals to Lord Rohan that Clarissa was his wife and a Rohan by birth. Though not loving Clarissa himself, Rohan kills Hesther with a cane, fulfilling the family motto, Who Dishonours Us, Dies. The household’s power structure is shattered by the murder.

In 1943, Peter Rokeby and Clarissa Rohan, descendants of the earlier couple, depart the auction hand in hand. They rush to catch a London bus, signaling a hopeful continuation of the family story and a fresh start for their own romance.