A cruise liner carries a British couple, Nigel and Fiona, towards Istanbul. TheyUre a handsome couple, but a little RuptightS and theyUre on their way to India, hoping to give their marriage a new lease of life with the help of oriental mysticism. During the crossing, Nigel allows himself to be cornered by an individual in a wheel-chair who invites him to his cabin. The invalid, a strange and sarcastic American called Oscar, starts telling the story of his lifeUs passion with its tragic and self-destructive side-effects...