In 19th century Spain, the beautiful and highly temperamental gypsy Carmen (Rita Hayworth) lures naive young soldier Don Jose (Glenn Ford) into a doomed romance. Completely infatuated with the mesmerizing woman, Don Jose deserts the army and is coerced by his lover into killing her husband. His life slides further into oblivion when he falls in with a gang of bandits, continuing his crime spree. Carmen continues to manipulate him, which results in a shocking and tragic conclusion.