 Life is easy in Pago Pago, on an isle in the Pacific. Soon arrives Alfred Davidson (Walter Huston), a religious missionary with his wife, Dr. MacPhail (Matt Moore) with his wife, and prostitute, Sadie Thompson. All of them have a good relationship with the military police lead by Sgt. Tim O Hara (William Gargan). Sadie settles in the same bungalow where the Davidsons and the MacPhails live. There the girl will wind people up with parties and the music of her phonograph. Even Sgt. Tim O Hara, nicknamed by Sadie as "Handsome", will try to win the heart of her. Sadie s carrying some secrets from her past, some crimes that she has to pay for in San Francisco, so she s trying to scape to Sidney or maybe other place in the Pacific. Alfred can t stand the situation, and he ll move his influences with the governor to make Sadie leaves the isle and returns to San Francisco. Sgt. O Hara gets very upset with Davidson and he ll try to help Sadie and sends her to Sidney, Australia. But Sadie has become another woman by the influence of Davidson and his prays, she s regretted of her old life and is disposed to travel to San Francisco and confronts justice.