James Ivory stages a farewell in the glow of Shanghai nightlife, where a blind American entrepreneur (Ralph Fiennes) and a compromised countess (Natasha Richardson) build a haven called The White Countess. The club promises refuge, but history does not honor reservations; as war presses in, the romance becomes a study in grace under pressure. With Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, and Hiroyuki Sanada; a lush, elegiac capstone to the Merchant Ivory legacy.