After his parents die, young Irish lad Robert Shannon (Dean Stockwell) is forced to take residence with his extended family in Scotland. As he grows up, he develops and interest in medicine and harbors dreams of becoming a doctor and escaping his dead-end town. While his great-grandfather (Charles Coburn) and other family members support him, he continually faces harsh criticism from his miserly grandfather (Hume Cronyn), who refuses to support the boy's decision to leave town for college.