In order to escape brutal poverty Hanna Lundmark flees her home in Sweden to work as a cook on a ship bound for Australia. On board she falls in love and marries the ship's mate who dies tragically on the voyage. Griefstricken, Hanna jumps ship at the African port town of Lourenço Marques in Mozambique, where a series of events leads to her becoming the owner of a brothel. However, racial tensions in the town are high between the white settlers and native Africans and life for Hanna is not easy.