故事的背景设定在1980年代的波兰,一个由名为“风信子”的秘密行动引发的连锁反应。这个行动导致了约1.1万名男同性恋者被追踪、记录和勒索,这些人后来陆续受到威胁。整个事件的起因则是一起扑朔迷离的谋杀案,一名富商在自己的别墅中被杀害,调查过程中却充满了迷雾和障碍。主人公罗伯特(托马斯·兹代克 Tomasz Zietek 饰)是一个年轻的警察,尽管他的父亲是总警监,但他坚持不看重权势和裙带关系,对破案充满了执着。他瞒着未婚妻,深入男同性恋圈子卧底调查,与外向自信的大学生艾瑞克相识。
艾瑞克是一个大胆而自信的年轻人,受过西化教育,对罗伯特表露出天然的信任,并向他揭露了风信子行动的卑鄙本质,以及与谋杀案有关的内幕。他的开放和直率影响了罗伯特,使他开始反思自由与压抑的对立,并挑战困扰自己的恐惧和偏见。随着调查的深入,罗伯特发现谋杀案背后隐藏着一个庞大的金钱网络,而对艾瑞克的情感纠结也使他陷入了危险之中。
The direction of The Sleeping Tiger was credited to Victor Hanbury, but this was actually a pseudonym for the blacklisted Joseph Losey, whose first British film this was. Alexander Knox stars as psychiatrist Clive Esmond, who believes that he can stem the criminal tendencies of young fugitive from justice Frank Clements (Dirk Bogarde). To this end, Esmond hides Clements in his own home. At first hostile towards the handsome crook, Esmond's wife Glenda (Alexis Smith) gradually warms up to her house guest, and before long she and Clements are casting lustful glances at one another. She intends to run off with Clements and make a new life for herself, when suddenly he decides that he actually wants to reform. If nothing else, The Sleeping Tiger is a fascinating precursor to the sexual tensions prevalent in Losey's later Harold Pinter adaptations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The film follows the story of three girls in contemporary Paris. One searches for her lost mother since she knows she's adopted. The other has come out of a coma and needs to have a love relationship aside from his mysterious father. The third one is a crook who redeems herself through love. The action is commented by songs and dance routines.