A quiet housewife and charwoman is abused and exploited by just about everybody, including her daughter-in-law.

A prophecy leads Macbeth and his wife to murder Duncan in order to gain his crown, but the bloodbath does not end there, and things supernatural combine to bring the Macbeths down.

The Duke of Vienna charges his deputy Angelo with maintaining order in his absence. Angelo decides to enforce the city's strict moral code, which has possibly fatal consequences for Claudio - unless his sister Isabella can persuade Angelo to reprieve him.