In this intriguing adaptation of the classic stage play, medieval scholar John Faustus (Richard Burton) makes a deal with the devil, selling his soul in exchange for a more youthful body, infinite knowledge and a beautiful woman. But he soon has second thoughts, prompting the devil's right-hand man, Mephistopheles (Andreas Teuber), to send Helen of Troy (Elizabeth Taylor) to take care of Faustus once and for all.