A Cottage on Dartmoor

Joe, a barber in a Devon town, becomes enthralled with Sally, a manicurist at the shop. He musters the nerve to ask her out, but the date ends awkwardly and Sally does not return his feelings. The moment sours into a troubling fixation as a floral buttonhole misunderstanding compounds his attraction.

Sally's lack of interest is clear after the awkward date, yet Joe's fascination persists. He cannot let go, and his obsession grows as he misreads signals and events. His emotions begin to blur the line between admiration and danger.

A small misunderstanding involving a floral buttonhole becomes the catalyst for Joe's escalating fixation. He reads it as a sign of Sally's closeness with him and misinterprets her friendliness. His jealousy hardens into a dangerous obsession.

Harry, a regular client and young farmer, begins courting Sally and she responds more openly. Joe watches helplessly as Sally's affection shifts away from him. The stakes in their romance grow as a rival appears.

Sally and Harry arrange to go to the local cinema, elating to each other’s company. Unbeknownst to them, Joe tails them from the back of the theatre, watching their happiness. He sinks into despair during the film and leaves the cinema abruptly.

The next day, Joe notices Sally wearing an engagement ring and confronts Harry in the barber shop. The argument erupts into a physical struggle, and Joe slashes Harry with a cut-throat razor. Sally believes Joe intended murder.

Sally's belief persists as Joe is arrested and tried for attempted murder. The case focuses on the razor attack and the danger posed to Harry. The trial ends with a conviction and a lengthy prison sentence.

Joe receives a lengthy sentence and is incarcerated at the notorious Dartmoor Prison. He endures the harsh routine and isolation typical of the penal system. The period of imprisonment becomes the prelude to the film's later escape.

Some years later, Joe escapes from Dartmoor and makes his way across the bleak landscape toward the cottage where Sally and Harry now live. The escape marks a fragile return to the world outside prison walls. He moves with stealth through the moor as the pursuit resumes in his mind.

Under cover of night, Joe reaches the isolated cottage and Sally, now remorseful about her role in his imprisonment, offers him a hiding place. A fragile mercy breaks the ice between former adversaries. Harry returns, adding tension to the uneasy truce.

Harry and Joe engage in an awkward but genuine reconciliation, and Harry agrees to help Joe escape. The two men tentatively coordinate, wrestling with fear, loyalty, and the danger of discovery. Sally watches the fragile alliance with a wary hope.

On the cusp of the escape, Joe changes course, abandoning the planned breakout and rushing toward the cottage to create a distraction that might draw attention away from capture. The decision is driven by desperation and an understanding of the inevitable risk. The plan collapses in a heartbeat.

The guards post at the cottage shoot as Joe reaches the cottage, and he dies in Sally's arms. The tragedy completes his arc from obsession to vengeance and futile escape. Sally is left to reconcile with the consequences of her past decisions.