本片讲述一群为了成为消失的王室宝物的主人，而聚集在海上的义贼与海盗们的壮阔冒险故事。2014的《海盗》是本片的前作，但人物及故事皆为全新设定。

身为公关经理的海伦（Gwyneth Paltrow 饰）却在某天早上遭遇了失业的打击，她满怀失落地走向地铁，命运就在滑动门的左右发生变化。赶上地铁的海伦回到家发现男友的奸情，使得劳燕分飞。为了迎接新的生活，海伦改变了发型，在电梯间邂逅了富有魅力的男子詹姆斯（John Hannah 饰）。新的恋情悄然开始……错过地铁的海伦也错过了男友与情人欢愉的场面，他们的恋情仍在继续。男友小心周旋在两个女人之间，却难免有败露的一天……滑动门机械地一开一关，命运随之悄然改变。

Semiotics of the Kitchen adopts the form of a parodic cooking demonstration in which, Rosler states, "An anti-Julia Child replaces the domesticated 'meaning' of tools with a lexicon of rage and frustration." In this performance-based work, a static camera is focused on a woman in a kitchen. On a counter before her are a variety of utensils, each of which she picks up, names and proceeds to demonstrate, but with gestures that depart from the normal uses of the tool. In an ironic grammatology of sound and gesture, the woman and her implements enter and transgress the familiar system of everyday kitchen meanings — the securely understood signs of domestic industry and food production erupt into anger and violence. In this alphabet of kitchen implements, states Rosler, "when the woman speaks, she names her own oppression."

杨天青（李保田饰）的叔叔杨金山（李纬饰），是个有生理缺陷的染坊主，在折磨死两房太太后，为续香火，他又花大价钱买了个年轻漂亮的女人菊豆（巩俐饰），对其百般虐待。年近四十而尚未娶亲的天青，对因叔叔每夜滥施淫威而痛苦哀叫的菊豆由怜生爱，两人私通，生得一子。金山喜出望外，以为己出，取名天白。但不久金山中风，半身不遂，菊豆与天青更加肆无忌惮，得知真相的金山想要报复，后却误坠染池丧命。按家族的规矩，天青要搬出染房，被迫分离的菊豆与天青只能暗地来往。10多年后，天白长大，外人的闲言琐语使他分外仇恨生父……