In this legendary Gershwin opera set among the black residents of a fishing village in 1912 South Carolina, Bess - a woman with a disreputable history - tries to break free from her brutish lover Crown after he becomes wanted for murder. The only person willing to overlook her past and offer her shelter is the crippled Porgy. Their relationship is threatened by the disapproval of the townspeople, the presence of her old drug supplier Sportin' Life - and the threatened return of Crown. 故事发生在美国卡罗莱纳州一条名为“鲇鱼街”的小道之中，贪婪的赌徒们聚集在此，挥金如土，希望能在下一盘赌局中赢回本钱。今天的幸运儿是名叫波吉（西德尼·波蒂埃 Sidney Poitier 饰）的黑人男子，最终，几个输不起的赌徒掀起了一场斗殴，其中，凶悍的克劳恩（布洛克·皮特斯 Brock Peters 饰）出手将罗宾（Joel Fluellen 饰）打死，慌乱之中，克劳恩的情人贝丝（多萝西·丹德里奇 Dorothy Dandridge 饰）同波吉一起逃走了。 之后，克劳恩几次前来骚扰波吉和贝丝，甚至绑架了贝丝，终于，某一日，忍无可忍的波吉将寻衅滋事的克劳恩失手杀死，他也因此被关进了大牢。失去了生活支柱的贝丝无以为继，只能沦为妓女。
