Classic drama set on a German ocean liner during the Nazi regime of the 1930s. The fateful cruise follows the lives of its passengers including disciples of Naziism, wealthy Jewish men, sleazy dance troupes & bitter lovers along the 36-day-voyage. From the sad love affair between the ship's doctor, Wilhelm Schumann (Oskar Werner), & La Contessa (Simone Signoret), a doomed Spanish noblewoman, to the fading relationship of two young, American artists, the ship serves many characters.