Garbo plays Lillie, the young wife of John Sterling (Lewis Stone), who takes her on a trip to inspect his plantations in the Orient. Aboard the ship they meet Prince De Gace (Nils Asther), who starts pursuing Lillie. At his palace in Java, the Prince entertains the couple and when Sterling is away finally seduced Lillie. Sterling returns, sees them, and ends up with the necklace she left on the couch where she and the Prince were making love. When the trio goes on a tiger hunt, Lillie discovers the necklace in Sterling's coat and realizes her husband knows the truth. Suddenly, she is very afraid about what might happen on this tiger hunt.

While Wild Orchids is not a great Garbo film, it is certainly above average. Indeed, the ending was actually something of a surprise. Having Garbo in the Orient allows her to wear a few exotic outfits along with the standard furs and silks, so she certainly looks as alluring as ever. Asther is nothing special as the exotic Prince of the Orient, while Stone provides his usually solid performance.