A study was made of the flow field in a meander-flood plane geometry. Energy loss, velocity distribution, and free surface topography were studied in a rigid boundary model. Significant differences were found to exist between inbank and overbank flow conditions. The results indicate that considerable increases in energy loss can occur under overbank flow conditions, that deposition and scour patterns reverse when the flow rises above the flood plain level, and that during major floods a meandering river will tend to straighten its course.