Charles Korvin

Passengers on a ship traveling from Mexico to Europe in the 1930's represent society at large in that era.

Passengers on a ship traveling from Mexico to Europe in the 1930s represent society at large in that era.

SHIP OF FOOLS is set on a German ocean liner, during the Nazi regime of the 1930's. In the high class section are several well-to-do people, while below deck are a horde of sugar field workers returning to Spain after a season of work in Cuba. The ship is a hot bed of disillusionment, prejudice and delusions of grandeur.

In the aftermath of the American Revolution, a general's dying wish is for his doctor and confidant, Carlos Morales (Fernando Lamas), to assume control of his plantation, Sangaree. Morales is reluctant: Sangaree was where his father was an indentured servant. Seen by his neighbors as a low-class laborer, Morales must also contend with the general's high-toned daughter (Arlene Dahl) and her fiancé, who believe they're Sangaree's rightful owners.