An adaptation of Henry James’ novel The Wings of the Dove, the film tells the story of an impoverished English aristocrat who, in the early 1900s, tries to make a rich and ill American lady fall in love with her fiancée. The idea is that when the American dies, the fiancée will inherit her money and so the two lovers can afford to get married. All the action, in perfect old English style, takes place during a disturbing holiday in Venice, providing an insight into strength of feelings, a sense of death and reciprocal affection.