When college student Bill (Douglas Dick) grows inappropriately fond of psychology professor Wilma (Loretta Young) and tries to rape her, she fights back. But as she defends herself, she accidentally kills her attacker. Wilma then moves Bill's corpse to a nearby beach and makes his death look like the result of a cliff diving accident. But her guilt over the incident builds, and police Lt. Dorgan (Wendell Corey) begins to suspect that Wilma knows more about the death than she's letting on.