Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) leaves the comfort of her home in Denmark for life on a coffee plantation in Africa. She is newly wed to Baron Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) who seeks to cultivate coffee at heights in Kenya that had never been successfully attempted. The couple struggle to plant coffee and bring their meager crops to maturity against challenges including the weather, insects, and locals. They also struggle in their personal life. The couple's relationship becomes rockier than ever after Blixen discovers her husband has given her a sexually-transmitted disease. The relationship ends, leaving her to run the coffee plantation on her own. Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford) woos the baroness and they embark on a passionate love affair.