After the turn of the 20th century, hidebound Bostonian George Apley (Ronald Colman) frets over what he considers to be the rash choices of his young adult children. Despite George's efforts to arrange a suitable marriage between his son John and his cousin Agnes, John resists, while his daughter, Ellie (Peggy Cummins), dates a young Harvard lecturer whom George considers a radical. In the midst of efforts to restore normalcy to his family, George realizes how staid his life has become.