Madam Kum is a well-known dance hall girl. She gave birth to her daughter Yin-fan. Kum gave her to some relatives. Nineteen years go by, and Kum accidentally runs into Fan's husband, Man-fai, in Singapore. She tells him everything. Fai is surprised but accepts the truth. They have a talk and agree not to reveal the truth to Fan. However, Fai promises Kum that he will arrange for her to see Fan. Gum starts to see Fan on public occasions. Bing-chiu, who has been chasing after Fan since college, runs into Fai and Kum. He tells Fan about it. Fan goes to Kum to ask her not to destroy her family. Kum is hurt but still does tell her the truth. She decides to returns to Singapore. She goes to Fan's house to see her once more. Fan is having her birthday party. She insults Kum and throws a glass of wine in her face. Fai cannot stand it anymore and tells his wife who Kum really is. Fan feels guilty. All the others are moved by what Kum has suffered and they start to accept her.

In order to wait for her lover Fan Chun-tak to finish his study in Australia, Tang Sau-man works as a governess in Chui Shek-wah's house. Chui is Fan's brother-in-law. Chui spoils his wife Fan Kam-ping. She becomes lazy and dependent on Tang. Fan finishes his study and returns. He decides to transform his elder sister. He asks her best friend, Pang Shui-ha, to persuade her. Pang has a crush on Fan. Pang uses this opportunity to get intimate with Fan. Tang originally thinks that after Fan comes back, she no longer has to live in somebody's shelter. But Fan spends all his time with Pang. Tang is unhappy and drinks to vent her unhappiness. Tang gets drunk and Chui takes care of her. However, Ping thinks that they have dubious relationship and throws Tang out. Tang falls down a slope and loses one leg. Fan is angry with himself and decides to marry Tang. Ping also realises that she is wrong. She decides to change her lazy character and takes care of the disabled Tang.

Orphan Lee Dan-hung is made a scapegoat by her cousin Chor Kwai-ping. Facing drug trafficking charges, Lee is released on parole with the doctor To King-chung as guarantor. Lee works as a sanatorium nurse. The modest caretaker, Matriarch To plays matchmaker for her son To Ngan-sing and Lee. Ashamed of her past, Lee listens to the doctor's advice and keeps the Tos in the dark. Chor returns and coerces Lee into colluding with smuggling ring by threatening to kill her newborn daughter. The reluctant Lee is arrested in a police raid together with the gang members but is later acquitted. With a reputation to defend, To toughens his heart and expels Lee. Lee leaves for Borneo with a touring opera troupe but a yearning for her daughter brings her back several years later. Feeling for the upset in-law, Matriarch To grants her stay until his son's return from business in a few months' time. When To returns, he decides to make up for the wasted time by bringing Lee and her daughter home.

Not a love triangle but a love rectangle, Rose, Be My Love is a romantic drama that represents the high standards achieved by Shaw Brothers in both star power and technical polish. Set on the eve of Pearl Harbor and Hong Kong's invasion by the Japanese, the tragic romance takes on added poignancy in light of the future fate of leading lady Li Ting, the "Rose" of Rose, Be My Love who committed suicide a mere three months after the movie's release.