The Harrington family is not a happy one. Mother and housewife Louise (Rosalind Russell) is somewhat self-deluded, while father and business executive Stanley (Jack Hawkins) is disconnected and distant. Their son, Philip (Richard Beymer), is a fey and sensitive teen, and his sister, Pamela (Annette Gorman), is restless and tightly wound. Into this tense mix arrives Walter (Maximilian Schell), a charming tutor, whose presence shakes things up in the troubled household.