Two decades after their hasty wedding, Doc (Burt Lancaster) and Lola (Shirley Booth) are stuck in a deadening and loveless marriage. Doc, who dropped out of medical school when Lola got pregnant, blames Lola for the loss of his life's dream. Lola, who never recovered emotionally from the miscarriage she suffered shortly after their wedding, still mourns the loss of her beloved dog, Sheba. When a beautiful young lodger (Terry Moore) enters their home, long-repressed emotions explode.