Bette appears as a spoiled young Southern beauty who likes to play with men to tickle her ego. But as the trauma of a Yellow Fever epidemic sweeps through 1852 New Orleans, she finds that playing with men can be deadly.

Henry Fonda plays a rather priggish young banker who finally runs out of patience with his wayward fiancée. His high ideals are set boldly against Bette's rebellious act of wearing a vile crimson dress to the Memphis Ball. Young ladies always wear virginal white until marriage, Bette is told, to which she nearly replies a la Scarlett O'Hara: Fiddle dee dee!

Gorgeous gowns, great acting and full-stop melodramatic fun.