During World War Two a badly-burned pilot, known only as 'the English patient' (Ralph Fiennes), is cared for in a Canadian military medical unit by nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche). As the dying patient's memory returns, he tells Hana his story - of how he embarked on a passionate affair with Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas), the wife of one of his colleagues. Meanwhile, intelligence agent Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe) tells Hana that he suspects the English patient of being a spy for the Germans.