The Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
Set in the year 1783 aboard H.M.S. Indomitable, then at war with the French, an innocent young sailor is hung from the ship's mast as a result of violence and corruption among the crew.