WhenthenavalconstructiondesignerOliverReed(KentSmith)meetstheSerbianIrenaDubrovnaReed(SimoneSimon)inthezoo,heflirtswithherandtheysoonerfallinloveandmarryeachother.However,Irenaisafraidofanancientcourseofhertownthatwomencannotbetouchedbyaman,otherwiseshewilltransforminapanther,andthecoupledoesnotconsummatetheirm..ccc