The sudden death of Jaffrey and Clifford Pyncheon's father provides the vengeful and vindictive Jaffrey with the perfect opportunity to get his brother out of the way and seize the family fortune. Framed for murder and forced to leave his fiancée behind, Clifford is sent off to prison, where he befriends Matthew Hargrave, the descendent of the Maule family, with whom the Pyncheons have a long history of turbulence. Can the two join together to foil Jaffrey, or are the families destined to repeat the mistakes of the past and live out the curse of their ancestors? © 1940 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.