Emotions run high when Don Luis Montoya (Albert Dekker), an elderly sugar planter and longtime bachelor, returns from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico with his enticing young bride Jean (Mari Blanchard), whom he married that morning. They decide to spend their wedding night at a hotel in San Juan before traveling on to Luis' plantation. However, at the hotel's pool, Jean meets an acquaintance from New York, who informs her that some of her old friends are arriving and, concerned that they might reveal her former life as a party girl, Jean asks Luis that they leave immediately for the plantation.

Although Jean is fond of Luis, she has married him only for financial security. This is evident to the Montoya household, which includes Carlos (Carlos Rivas), Don Luis' handsome young protégé and manager, whom he has reared since Carlos was orphaned; Bernardo (Juano Hernandez), his majordomo; Bernardo's assistant Rita (Ruth Cains), who is in love with Carlos; and Miguel (Lee Van Cleef), Luis' opportunistic cousin.

At a dinner to celebrate the wedding, Miguel drunkenly insults Luis and Jean, causing Carlos to slap him. After Luis and Jean are serenaded by the plantation's workers, Miguel returns with a machete to attack Carlos. When Luis intervenes, Miguel slashes Luis then runs off. Although the wound is not serious, it prevents Luis from consummating the marriage. The workers then capture Miguel and bring him to Carlos, who defeats him in a fistfight.

The next morning, Luis banishes Miguel from the plantation. Jean seeks relief from her boredom by turning to Carlos, who shows her around the plantation. Although Jean begins to fall in love with him, Carlos rebuffs her and remains loyal to his sweetheart Rita and benefactor Luis. After Miguel sabotages the processing plant's machines, Luis is forced to rehire him in order to repair the damage. Miguel then arouses Luis' suspicions about Jean's fidelity, and when Luis finds Jean and Carlos in a compromising situation that she has deliberately contrived, he thrashes Carlos with a riding crop. Carlos tells Luis he is innocent, but will leave only after he has worked off his indebtedness to Luis. Luis agrees and demotes Carlos to field laborer, working under Miguel.

Still angered, Luis forcibly consummates the marriage later that day. Jean then persuades Carlos to escape with her from the plantation, but Miguel sees them together and reports to Luis, who orders him to shoot Carlos if he attempts to see or help Jean again. Later, Jean agrees to renounce all claims to the Montoya estate, in exchange for Miguel's help in arranging her and Carlos' escape. Miguel double-crosses Jean, however, and informs Luis where she and Carlos can be found. Luis, drunk and enraged, takes his machete, the symbol of his honor, and sets out after the couple. Meanwhile, a controlled burn of the cane fields is underway and Miguel uses the opportunity to trap Luis in an isolated field, then sets it afire. Carlos is about to leave, but seeing Luis' peril, runs into the burning field to help him. Jean runs after him. After dragging Luis to safety, Carlos is attacked by Miguel, whom he kills with Luis' machete. Carlos is unable to save Jean, who perishes in the fire. Luis and Carlos then reconcile and Carlos returns to Rita.

A 1958 American Black & White drama B-Movie ( a/k/a "The Witches from Another World") directed by Kurt Neumann, produced by Neumann and J. Harold Odell, written by Neumann and Carroll Young, cinematography by Karl Struss, starring Mari Blanchard, Ruth Cains, Albert Dekker, Juano Hernandez, Carlos Rivas and Lee Van Cleef. Released by United Artists.

The best thing about this film is the outdoor location cinematography of the sugar plantation in Puerto Rico by the prolific Karl Struss.

Photographer Karl Struss first worked on a movie with director Kurt Neumann on "Island of Lost Men" (1939). They teamed up again on "Tarzan and the Leopard Woman" (1946). Further Neumann-Struss collaborations were "The Dude Goes West" (1948), "Bad Boy" (1949), "Rocket Ship X-M" (1950), "Tarzan and the She-Devil" (1953), "Mohawk" (1956), "She Devil" (1957), "The Deerslayer" (1957), "Kronos" (1957), "The Fly" (1958), "Counterplot" (1959) and this film. When Neumann died, Struss worked exclusively photographing television commercials until his retirement in 1970, after a 51-year career in cinematography.

When Neumann died in 1958, "The Fly", his most popular movie was just about to go into general release, and he still had three films on the shelf: this one, shot back-to-back with "Counterplot" (held back from release until October 1959) in Puerto Rico, and "Watusi" (released August 1959).

More of a routine melodrama than an adventure film. Despite its flaws, this jungle noir is a potboiler of some interest. Spaghetti western star Lee Van Cleef with the reptilian eyes plays the bad guy. Blanchard's exuberant efforts, along with plot twists mixed with melodramatic oddities, keep it watchable.