The movie is based on the suspense short film nominated for the Golden Méliès to the Best European Fantastic Short Film, winner of more than 30 awards and screened by more than 200 film festivals. It was defined by the critics as a cult short film.
故事发生在17世纪。赫丝特（黛米·摩尔 Demi Moore 饰）离开丈夫，孤身一人来到马萨诸塞湾的英属殖民地定居。在这里开拓的英国人信仰坚定，恪守清规，赫丝特的一些举动在这压抑的殖民地环境下颇为引人注目。当地的牧师阿瑟（加里·奥德曼 Gary Oldman 饰）英俊而富有激情，赫丝特为他的神采深深吸引，两个性情相投的人很快陷入了危险的热恋。不久殖民地方面接到了赫丝特的医生丈夫被印第安人杀害的消息，本以为可以公开关系的一对恋人等到的却是东窗事发，赫丝特为保护阿瑟，拒绝供认通奸者，自此被投入监狱直至产下一名女婴，而阿瑟则在监狱外日日承受心灵的拷问……出狱后的赫丝特戴上了通奸者的耻辱标志，同时她大难不死的丈夫突然现身，誓要将通奸者揪出以发泄心中怒火……
Edith Hardy uses charity funds for Wall Street investments in hopes of buying some new gowns. She loses all the money and borrows from wealthy oriental Tori. When her husband gives her the amount she borrowed, Tori won't take it back, branding her shoulder with a Japanese sign of his ownership. She shoots him. Her husband takes the blame. In court Edith reveals all to an angry mob. Written by Ed Stephan {stephan@cc.wwu.edu} Richard Hardy, a hardworking stockbroker, labors overtime to keep up with the ruinous bills incurred by his beautiful but irresponsible wife Edith, a venal, spoiled socialite who is impervious to his pleas for fiscal restraint. Acting on what she believes to be an insider information, she impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the Red Cross charity she chairs for a stock tip. When she finds the money has been lost, she desperately turns to a Japanese ivory trader with whom she has been thoughtlessly flirting and persuades him to replace the money in exchange for an assignation. When her husband's long-awaited business deal finally materializes, she desperately tries to withdraw from their agreement by replacing the money. Angered and disappointed with her resistance to his advances, he uses a branding device to mark her shoulder as his property. Feeling violated, Edith shoots him in the shoulder and leaves. In order to protect his wife's reputation, Richard confesses to the crime and faces trial for attempted murder. Written by Gabe Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)
