When scho ol teach er Harriet Wi nslow g oes to Mexico t o teach,  she is kidn apped by Gen.  Tomas Arr oyo and his revolut ionaries.  An aging Am erican,  Ambrose  &quo t;Old Gringo&a mp;quot ; Bierce also in M exico, befri ends Gen . Arroyo and meets Har riet. Bierce is a famous wr iter, who k nowing that he is dying,  wishes to kee p his ide ntity secre t so he can de termine his  own fate. Tho ugh he li kes Arroyo,  Bierce tries  to provoke the General &#39 ;s anger whene ver possible in an attempt to get hims elf kill ed, thu s avoiding s uffering th rough his illne ss. Winsl ow is intrigued by both  Bierce a nd Arro yo, and the me n are in turn  attracted to he r. She  becomes rom antical ly involved  with Arroy o. When Winslo w learns o f Bierce&a mp;#39;s t rue identity (a writer w hose work she h as loved a nd respected for years), s he is singlem indedly d etermined  to fulfill h is dying wish.　 　When school t eacher Har riet Winslow g oes to M exico to teach, she is k idnappe d by Gen. Tomas Arroyo