In the 19th century, a bullied, disfigured man dubbed Iguana flees from abusive locals, finds his own island and declares himself tyrant of his new domain. A man and a woman get stranded there and become victims of his new sadisti...

John Riley, an Irish immigrant soldier recruited in the American army during the Mexican-American War faces anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic bigotry from his fellow servicemen and defects to the Mexican army.