In the court of King Charles II (Dennis Arundell) during the 17th century, young William Penn (Clifford Evans) is disgusted by the cruel treatment meted out to members of a small religious sect, the Quakers. To the dismay of his powerful father (Charles Carson), Penn resigns his military commission and devotes his life to the Quakers. With the support of his loving wife, Gulielma (Deborah Kerr), Penn travels to the New World to found a Quaker colony called Pennsylvania.