The title character, played by John Payne, is a ship's captain whose embittered behavior after losing his lady love seemingly leads to tragedy. Accused of deliberately scuttling his ship during a typhoon, Captain China hopes to clear himself by signing on as a common seaman on a vessel captain by his former first mate Brendensen. There's no love lost between the two men, and their mutual animosity is intensified when both fall in love with beautiful passenger.

• Pine-Thomas Productions
• Paramount Pictures
• John Payne
• Gail Russell
• Jeffrey Lynn
• Lon Chaney Jr.
• Edgar Bergen
• Michael O'Shea
• Ellen Corby
• Robert Armstrong