 The Bounty sails from Britain for Tahiti to obtain a cargo of breadfruit plants. Captain Bligh is in charge and he over-zealously enforces discipline by various methods, his favorite being flogging. Bligh cuts rations and works his men so hard that even first mate Fletcher Christian finds him hard to comprehend. In Tahiti, Christian and good friend midshipman Byam become involved with native women Maimiti and Tehanni. Tahiti is paradise compared to life on the Bounty under Bligh. When the Bounty is loaded and sets sail to return, the harsh treatment by their Captain is too much for the crew and Christian leads a mutiny. They set Bligh and his supporters adrift on a boat and return the Bounty to Tahiti. What they did not count on is the Captain s return.