Antoinette Cosway, a young female landowner in 1840s Jamaica, marries Edward Rochester, despite receiving several warnings against doing so. As they become intimate and begin falling in love, their marriage seems headed off to a good start. It is only when Antoinette's old jamaican nurse, Christophine, grows more suspicious of Edward and Edward is influenced by Antoinette's cousin, Daniel; that the troubles begin. Daniel poisons Edward's mind about Antoinette, implying that she has already had a lover and is destined to become mentally retarded like her mother. He also mentions that she performs black magic with Christophine's help. Edward who was once strongly attached to his wife, starts to withdraw into his shell, leaving Antoinette devastated and unable to salvage her failing marriage. Antoinette decides to tell Edward the truth about her mother as well as her brother, confirming that madness does run in her family; this ,however, fails to bring them any closer. She then poisons his drink, all of a sudden blinding him with strong lust for her. His suspicions are confirmed the next morning, when he learns of what happened; this news, filling him with fury and disgust. He commits adultery with a servant soon after, and tells his wife that he does not love her. On discovering this, Antoinette withdraws emotionally as well. She is later taken to Rochester Mansion in England and kept guard on by a servant, due to her unstable mind. She is now called 'Bertha' and refuses to believe that she has been brought to England. The film ends with her setting fire to the mansion with her sleeping husband and maid still in it and ends up committing suicide by jumping off the roof.
