In 1936, Mark Preysing (Robert Taylor) comes to Germany in search of his mother, a famed actress who, unknown to him, lies ill in a concentration camp awaiting execution. During his desperate hunt, Mark meets an American-born countess (Norma Shearer), who slowly grows aware of the great evil corrupting her adopted country. Together they attempt to rescue Mark's mother, even though doing so could cost them their lives.

Based on a novel by Ethel Vance, ESCAPE stars Robert Taylor as a young American, the son of a widowed European woman (Alla Nazimova). The mother has been imprisoned in a German concentration camp, compelling her son to ignore America's neutrality and attempt a rescue. Sneaking into German-occupied Europe, Taylor is befriended by a countess (Norma Shearer) who is the mistress of a Nazi general (Conrad Veidt). Taylor isn't certain of the countess' loyalties, but she proves herself by aiding in the rescue of the imprisoned woman. ESCAPE is distinguished by a surprisingly subtle performance from Norma Shearer, though she gives in to her tendency to "ham" in her final denunciation of her Nazi paramour.