Two friends, both bearing the fateful name Allan Armadale, are under the curse of their fathers, rivals to the point of murder. The scene is Wildbad, the year 1832, and the town dignitaries are waiting in festive attire for the first spa guests of the season. Among them is the wealthy, dying plantation owner Allan Armadale, whose only wish is to finish a letter for his son before he dies, in which he recounts the tragic history of his family and warns against his namesake: "Put mountains and seas between you and that other Armadale. The two must never meet in this world - never, never, never!" But before the contents of the letter are revealed to the son, the paths of the two Armadales cross, and the beautiful stranger with the red scarf sets off a chain of mysterious entanglements in which the namesakes will soon become embroiled.