A countess must sell a pair of earnings to pay off bebts, telling her husband they are lost. He soon learns of the deceit and as the jewels begin their journey from one owner to the next, hypocrisy and infidelities are exposed beneath the well-mannered surface of their sophisticated world. Ophuls camera glides with seemingly effortless elegancein this visually dazzling masterpiece which renowned film critic Andrew Sarris described as 'the most perfect film ever made'.