An American playboy's discovery of honor and courage during World War I parallels the biblical story of the flood in this spectacular drama epic written by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by a young Michael Curtiz. On a train from Constantinople to Paris in 1914, Alsatian actress Mary, American youths Bill and Al, a German, a Frenchman, a Russian, and a minister become involved in an argument over Christianity that is abruptly terminated by a collision. After they find shelter in a nearby inn, war is declared, resulting in lost love, betrayal, and false incrimination.