In December 1941, American expatriate Rick Blaine owns a nightclub and gambling den in Casablanca, Morocco, attracting a varied clientele including Vichy French and German officials, refugees desperate to reach the United States, and those who prey on them. A former lover, Ilsa Lund, enters his establishment, rekindling old feelings amidst a complicated web of loyalty, patriotism, and survival in war-torn Casablanca, where letters of transit could change everything for those seeking freedom.