At the onset of World War I, British officer Roy Cronin (Robert Taylor) and ballerina Myra (Vivien Leigh) meet and fall in love. As fate would have it, Cronin is called to active duty shortly thereafter. When Cronin's departure coincides with a performance, Myra chooses to skip the ballet to see her love leave. As a result, she is dismissed from the ballet and struggles to make ends meet -- and when she reads of Cronin's misreported death, Myra hits rock bottom, resorting to prostitution.