Beauty Maria, the young widow of the Hungarian king, is being prepared by her brother, Emperor Charles, to be the wife of the king of Scotland. Having not known love and passion in marriage, Maria refuses to submit, but the Spanish ship on which she flees is sunk by pirates. The Scotsman John Macpherson, sent by the king to fetch his bride, is destined to save the fugitive. John has no idea that the black-haired mermaid he caught in the sea and who captured his heart from the first minute is the king's bride. And Maria enjoys a few days of happiness stolen from fate, realizing that their love is doomed. She knows that her choice could cost her lover his life...