In Cairo, Jamil El Shehab (Ramon Novarro) is a gigolo-conman working out of the train station. He spots his next target, Diana Standing (Myrna Loy), stepping off the train. Her mother is Egyptian. She is met by her wealthy British fiancé Gerald Hume.
This is pre-Code with Myrna Loy in a skimpy nightgown. One's opinion on this depends on how one takes Jamil. He's a cad and a scoundrel. That could be a romantic lead but Diana needs to be up to the challenge. Myrna Loy has that well within her acting range but the character is written a little soft with a healthy dose of western superiority complex. The portrayal of Arab culture is a bit superficial but I expected much less from that era in Hollywood. The chauvinism is interesting. The oasis drinking scene is both brutal and enlightening. This is taming of the shrew on steroids.