This is a digest and re-editing of three episodes of the TV series Northwest Passage, released by M-G-M as a feature in 1960, primarily for markets in which the TV series was unavailable. The bookending episodes are directed by George Waggner. The middle episode, originally titled "The Break-Out," was directed by the great Jacques Tourneur. It stars Keith Larsen and Buddy Ebsen.

When the sheriff's son is placed on trial for murdering a stagecoach driver, the sheriff desperately searches for the real killer - and finds the trail leads back to his boy.

The Wife of Seishû Hanaoka is set in feudal Japan. Its two central characters are based on the wife and mother of Japanese physician Seishû Hanaoka (1760-1835). Hanaoka developed a herbal general anaesthetic, "Tsusensan", some forty years before the better-known innovations of his American counterparts Long, Wells and Morton. Hanaoka performed the world's first mastectomy under general anaesthesia in October 1804. His disciples and trainees continued the surgical tradition he founded after his death. The neglected wife of Seishû Hanaoka, who is doing research on general anesthesia, chooses to become his guinea pig in order to get his further attention.

Lord Brasted is in charge of a postwar fund for displaced persons. His secretary, Derek Waterhouse, visits the Prime Minister to accuse Brasted of taking money from the fund. This results in a libel case made difficult for Waterhouse for several reasons: the man who uncovered the fraud has committed suicide - or been murdered - in Prague, Lady Brasted is an old flame and being pretty devious, and he has been seeing the prosecuting lawyer's daughter.

Hidejuro is sent to prison after killing the boss of a rival family. After being released, he discovers that his family has scattered and he is taking in by a company of quarry workers, whose boss has a strict code of non-violence. When the rival family tries to take over the company and kills their boss, Hidejuro must choose between his promise of non-violence and his yakuza code of revenge…

Sent by her employers on an errand to the home of the wealthy Mrs. Vincent, Irene O'Dare meets Don, a friend of Bob, Mrs. Vincent's son. Attracted to Irene, Don decides to invest some money in Bob's latest venture, the "Madame Lucy" dress shop, in order to give Irene a job there as a model. She is very successful and Bob also becomes attracted to her. Smith, the manager assigns Irene and other models to display gowns at Mrs. Vincent's charity ball, but Irene ruins the gown she was to wear, and appears instead in a quaint blue dress that had belonged to her mother… and it is a big hit.