When Julian Craster (Marius Goring) discovers his college professor has stolen his ballet suite of music, he complains the head of the Lermontov Ballet Company, Boris (Anton Walbrook), the imperious and control freak artistic director. Lermontov knows the truth and gives Julian a commission for a new score called “The Red Shoes,” a ballet about a girl who is driven mad by her love for demonic dancing shoes. Lermontov also discovers a beautiful red-head named Victoria Page (Moira Shearer), whom he will make into his new star to replace temperamental and retiring Boronskaja (Ludmilla Tcherina). To Lermontov’s displeasure the two young discoveries find romance with each other and give less time to their demanding boss. Even at odds with his crack team of dancers (Robert Helpmann, Leonide Massine), Lermontov must wheel and deal to make sure his greatest ballet will be a hit. For Victoria Page the ordeal is too much. During a delusional performance in which she cannot tell dance from reality, she seems to crack up leading to tragic results.