On the eve of the Meiji Restoration, Japan is still a nation thoroughly mistrustful of Western influence. The U.S. government dispatches Townsend Harris (John Wayne) to the port village of Shimoda to serve as U.S. consul to Japan. There Harris and his interpreter, Henry Heusken (Sam Jaffe), meet resistance from the locals, who refuse to recognize his diplomatic status. Eventually Harris meets lovely geisha Okichi (Eiko Ando), who helps him bridge the cultural divide.