Ann Williams (Miriam Hopkins), secretary to eccentric drama critic T.H. Skeates (A.E. Matthews), is persuaded to alter a ruinous review of Shakespearean actor Edmond Davey (Sebastian Shaw) by Davey's wife Barbara (Gertrude Lawrence). Davey's "Othello" becomes a hit and Ann, even though fired by Skeates, becomes a fan of Davey and starts to fall for him, much to the jealousy of her boyfriend Tommy (Sir Rex Harrison). At the prospect of involvement in an adulterous triangle, Ann recoils. But despite her resolution, the characters' love lives become ever more tangled and a real-life tragedy of Othello looms.