Michael Cochran (Kevin Costner) has just left the Navy after 12 years. He's not quite sure what he's going to do, except that he knows he wants a holiday. He decides to visit Tiburon Mendez (Anthony Quinn), a powerful but shady Mexican businessman who he once flew to Alaska for a hunting trip. Arriving at the Mendez mansion in Mexico, he is immediately surprised by the beauty and youth of Mendez' wife Mireya. Their attraction to each other is undeniable, but Cochran is aware that Mendez is a powerful, vindictive and a very possessive man who does not tolerate betrayal.