As the cruel captain of the HMS Bounty, a ship bound for Tahiti, William Bligh (Charles Laughton) wins few friends. When the crew members finally tire of his abuse, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) leads a mutiny, resulting in Bligh's unceremonious removal from the ship. While Christian and the remaining crew sail on to Tahiti, Bligh becomes intent on exacting revenge, and he targets Roger Byam (Franchot Tone), a sailor who had actually tried to stop the mutiny.