Plot

An ostracized Episcopal clergyman leads a busload of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunting his life.

The Rev. T. Laurance Shannon has been living in Mexico for two years, working as a tourist guide for a cut-rate travel agency. Shannon lost his church and was defrocked after taking liberties with one of his parishioners. He's now accompanying a group of middle-aged ladies from Texas whose leader, Judith Fellowes, is keeping a close eye on her teenage ward, Charlotte Goodall, who definitely has an interest in the former priest. After Charlotte and Shannon spend the night together, Fellowes is out to have him fired and to keep her from communicating with his employer, Shannon strands them at a remote hotel run by his good friend Maxine Faulk. It's the arrival of Hannah Jelkes and her elderly grandfather that has the greatest impact however. Her approach to life and love forces Shannon to deal with his demons and re-evaluate his life.—garykmcd

Having left the church two years ago as a man of the cloth, Dr. T. Laurance Shannon works as a tour guide for third rate El Paso-based Blake's Tours, his current bus tour down the west coast of Mexico as far south as Puerto Vallarta with a group of middle aged Baptist women led by Judith Fellowes. He denies being defrocked by those that make that accusation, although he does not deny being asked to leave the church for conduct unbecoming. The reasons, which include inappropriate behavior with a Sunday school teacher, have left him a psychologically damaged man in the situation that led to the accusations. He may be facing the same problem on this tour as one young woman in the group, underage Charlotte Goodall, long ago having reached her sexual awakening, is actively pursuing him, her wealthy father who sent her on this trip to get her away from a boy at home. While Shannon has had other problems with her, Miss Fellowes, Charlotte's chaperon, accuses him of leading on Charlotte, although Miss Fellowes may have other reasons personal to herself which are leading to the accusations. As Miss Fellowes has threatened to report him to anyone that matters with her goal to have him fired never to work in the business again, Shannon, upon arriving in Puerto Vallarta, instead commandeers the bus and the group to the isolated fishing village of Mismaloya to the rustic hilltop hotel run by his friend, outwardly brash and recently widowed Maxine Faulk, there where Miss Fellowes would have greater difficulty getting word to the outside world. In the hotel otherwise being closed in this, the off season, the only other guests are New England spinster Hannah Jelkes, and her aged "Nonno" (grandfather), who Maxine has allowed to stay in she knowing that they are penniless, although Miss Jelkes peddles her sketches to tourists to earn what little money they have. This trip is one of enlightenment for Nonno, a poet, and by association Miss Jelkes. This collective's time together may lead to some regaining their moral compass, religious or mostly otherwise.—Huggo

When American minister Reverend T. Laurance Shannon is expelled from his Virginia church, he travels to Mexico in search of his destiny and sanity. There he becomes a tour guide for a bus load of spinsters and a teenage nymphet named Charlotte Goodall, who is being chaperoned by the group's leader, the inflexible Judith Fellowes. Miss Fellowes, who is quite jealous of Charlotte's attentions to Shannon, discovers the young woman in his room and vows to have him fired. To thwart her plot, Shannon takes control of the bus from Hank, the bus driver, and speeds the tour group on a wild ride through the Mexican jungle to the crumbling, secluded hotel of an old friend, the recently widowed Maxine Falk. Eventually Shannon becomes enamored with another guest at the hotel, the rather genteel Hanna Jelkes, an itinerant quick sketch artist and her poet grandfather Nonno. As the wise Hanna partially restores Shannon's fractured world, Shannon struggles to get back the rest of his sanity and his self-respect.—alfiehitchie

The defrocked Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton) is to be the tour guide and historian for a church ladies' bus tour of Mexican religious historical sights. Even before boarding the old fashioned school bus, Shannon develops a contentious relationship with the lesbian leader of the women's group, Judith Fellowes (Grayson Hall) who is protective - read jealous - of the delinquent Charlottes (Lyon) interest in the reverend as her potential rescuer from being placed with the aged travelers. Driven to distraction by the attentions of the delinquent Lolita, Reverend Shannon has a alcoholic breakdown - as does the bus, right on cue - as they arrive nearby the Puerta Vallarta version of Bed & Breakfast establishment of the wildly over-the-top Maxine Faulk played by Gardner. Shortly after their arrival, the tour begins to heat up as the Reverend takes the bus's distributor thereby preventing the ladies' escape or the continuation of their tour. Shortly after the tour bus arrives, come an aging poet and his niece (Kerr). The heterosexual mirror to the appropriately named Fellowes, Hannah Jelkes proves to be less conservative than her spinster-like appearance indicates. Gardner's character has two native "beach boys" who chase down and chain up the titular Iguana so that it might be "fattened up" to be eaten up for dinner. All to the excitement and shock of the touring women. All the while Lyon is pursuing Shannon while as Jelkes and Faul pursue him as well and he pursues the bottle. Fellowes is either protecting Lyon's honor or hoping to convert her to lesbianism. An impromptu party develops and builds to a crescendo of death - Kerr's character's elderly poet uncle; jealous fighting - the beach boys and the bus driver, Lyon's character's other protector; and (verbally) Shannon and almost everyone else but the senile Miss Peebles - the author's tour ladies' personification. After sharing her secret sin with Shannon and the timely and sweet death of Miss Jelkes's poet just after finishing his last and lengthy poem, all the players find a weird peace. This acceptance that world must continue in its flawed manner and all must forgive, accept redemption and move on, arrives towards the end of the Night of the Iguana.