Pete (played by Carl Brisson) is a poorly fisherman on the Isle of Man.    Philip (Malcolm Keen) is a well-to-do lawyer of the same locale.  Despite their vastly different walks of life, the two have been life-long chums.   So when fisherman Pete, having fallen in love with the daughter of an established landlord at a local inn, decides to depart the island (in search of the wherewithal that he may one day return and marry his girl), he thinks nothing of entrusting his buddy Philip with looking after his intended for the duration.

           Philip agrees to his friend's request, Pete sails off and --wouldn't you know?-- Philip begins falling in love with the girl himself.   Kate (Anny Ondra) finds herself falling for Philip as well and it looks as if the two might be in a bit of a pickle upon Pete's return until news comes to the island that fisherman Pete won't actually be returning on account of the fact that he's up and died in a shipwreck.

          Kate dreams of marriage to Philip but --not so fast!   It turns out that Pete isn't really dead after all.   He returns from the sea and goes through with his plan to marry Kate.  He then discovers that Kate was already pregnant… with Philip's child!

          Kate runs to Philip, is rejected, attempts suicide, and, after this and that, Philip and Kate leave the Isle of Man in disgrace, taking their love child with them.   So, in the end, poor fisherman Pete suffers the loss both of his new bride and of his oldest friend. (Ay, caramba!)

          The Manxman was Hitchcock's last full-length silent film.