| Rita Hayworth | Gilda |
| Glenn Ford | Johnny Farrell/Narrator |
| George Macready | Ballin Mundson |
| Joseph Calleia | Detective Maurice Obregon |
| Steven Geray | Uncle Pio, Mundson's Butler |
| Joseph Sawyer | Casey |
| Gerald Mohr | Captain Delgado |
Johnny Farrell is a small-time American gambler, newly arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When he is caught cheating at a game of blackjack, Farrell manages to talk his way into a job with the casino's owner, the powerful Ballin Mundson . The two form an uneasy partnership based off their mutual lack of scruples until Mundson introduces Farrell to his beautiful new wife, Gilda, who just happens to be Farrell's ex-lover.