At
ʻIolani Palace,
Princess Kaʻiulani and the rest of the
royal family prepare for a ceremony that night to light
Honolulu with only electricity. That evening, however, the ceremony is interrupted when a large group of
armed white men enter the palace grounds. Led by
Lorrin Thurston, the men demand that Kaʻiulani's uncle,
King Kalākaua, sign a
new constitution to restrict the power of the monarchy as well as to grant huge governmental powers to citizens of European ancestry. The situation soon devolves into a tense standoff between Thurston's men and the
Royal Guards. Amidst the chaos of the moment Kaʻiulani is taken away for her own safety by her Scottish father,
Archie Cleghorn, and sent to England for both protection and education. Now in England, Kaʻiulani struggles to fit in as her
Polynesian heritage makes her a target of racism and offensive stereotypes from the Europeans whom she meets. She does make some friends, including the handsome young Clive Davies. They develop a relationship and the two become engaged. But one day her father returns from Hawaiʻi after several years and, to her shock, informs her that her uncle, King Kalākaua, had died shortly after being forced to sign the new constitution by Thurston and
Sanford B. Dole. He then informs her that a
failed native rebellion against the new constitution gave Thurston a reason to arrest and depose
Queen Liliʻuokalani,
overthrowing the monarchy and declaring Hawaiʻi a
republic. After discovering that the Davies family knew of her family's overthrow but hid the news from her Kaʻiulani decides to call off her engagement and leave England. She travels to the United States where she gathers media attention and denounces the overthrow as well as the U.S.'s involvement. Her cultured, regal appearance overcomes the racist views against her, and many note that she is not the "Barbarian Princess" she was depicted as at all. Her campaign against the overthrow climaxes with her meeting U.S. President
Grover Cleveland. At a lunch with the President, Kaʻiulani charms him and convinces him to actively oppose the overthrow, which he does by refusing to annex Hawaiʻi as an American territory. Unfortunately for Kaʻiulani, this act is done during the waning days of the Cleveland administration, and a few weeks later President
William McKinley is inaugurated. When Kaʻiulani returns to Hawaiʻi, she learns the new president has not only failed to oppose the overthrow but has also accepted Thurston's
annexation proposal, annexing Hawaiʻi
as a territory of the United States. She attends a small private funeral for the
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, hosted by her aunt, Queen Liliʻuokalani. Shortly after her return, she is visited by
Sanford B. Dole, who explains that three U.S. legal commissioners are arriving, and that he and Thurston would like the Princess to host a small dinner for them. Though she is appalled at the impertinent request, he convinces her that it might be to her advantage to. At the dinner, Kaʻiulani charms her visitors before surprising Thurston by publicly petitioning for an amendment to the annexation treaty to guarantee
universal suffrage and voting rights to all
Native Hawaiians. She is disregarded by an appalled Thurston, who points out she is not a recognized diplomat before Dole stands up for the princess and declares he will petition the amendment for her. As the amendment gathers support amongst the dinner guests, Thurston leaves, embarrassed and furious. After the dinner, Kaʻiulani is surprised to learn that her former fiancé Clive has come to Hawaiʻi, as he had promised he would, and she goes to see him. He tells her that his father has died and he is now in charge of his assets, including those in Hawaiʻi. The two make up, and Clive asks Kaʻiulani to return to England and marry him. She refuses, stating that her future is in Hawaiʻi. When he equally refuses to move to Hawaiʻi, the two share a last farewell kiss before Clive leaves for England. The film ends with Kaʻiulani returning her treasured seashells, which she had kept throughout her travels to remind her of Hawaiʻi, back to the ocean as she wades in the waves, with a voiceover saying that the bright flame of Kaʻiulani is kept alive by the
love of her people. A post-credits card shows that Kaʻiulani died less than one year after the annexation, some say of a broken heart for the loss of her kingdom. Another card mentions that in 1993
President Clinton signed the
Apology Resolution, apologizing to Hawaiʻi for the role the United States government played in the overthrow. == Cast ==