A mercenary English woman (Wendy Hiller) leaves London to marry a wealthy Scottish industrialist living on the tiny island of Kiloran. Stranded by gale storms on the Isle of Mull, she encounters a young Highland naval officer (Roger Livesey) also waiting to make the crossing. Given shelter and hospitality by local Scottish folk, Hiller is exposed for the first time to a happiness unconnected to money; a simplicity of folk ways and forces of nature which confounds her world view; and finally to true love. The story is full of sophisticated wit, and set to magnificent photography of Scotland's Western Isles and a wealth of Scottish humor, singing and dancing.
“It's a lovely, lyrical, gentle, totally civilised film, meticulously crafted and designed, very much a labor of love, yet approached with that casual affection which often begets major films.... Curiously, film-makers and film-making students - contemporary ones at least - are impatient with the film and actively dislike it. They feel that films have to ‘say something' - and since the ‘message' of this film is obvious and predictable from the beginning, the journey to the film's end seems a waste of time! Such an attitude of course robs them of a great deal of charm, some marvellous location photography, a remarkable special effects climax, many rich and warm characterizations, and interesting insights into British and Scottish character and social strata. It's a lovely film which brings forth added delights with each re-viewing, and of course the marvellously vibrant acting of Wendy Hiller (with Pamela Brown running a close second) is a major asset in itself.... Two post-scripts to ward off inevitable frustrations with this film: the oddly familiar little girl who appears exactly at the halfway mark is Petula Clark, now better known as a recording star and night-club singer. And if the haunting theme melody seems familiar even if you haven't seen the film before, it's probably because the Nicholas Ray They Live by Night appropriated it for ‘it's' theme!”