In Kansas, 1928, we meet Wilma Dean "Deanie" Loomis (Natalie Wood), a young girl who is navigating the tumultuous waters of adolescence while adhering to her mother’s advice to suppress her urges towards intimacy with her boyfriend, Bud Stamper (Warren Beatty). Bud, on the other hand, is caught in the throes of familial pressure, as his father, Ace (Pat Hingle), discourages him from pursuing Deanie, suggesting instead that he seek out another type of girl to fulfill his desires.
Bud's family is already burdened with shame regarding his older sister, Ginny (Barbara Loden), a lively flapper whose reckless lifestyle, marked by promiscuity and heavy drinking, has led to her recent return from Chicago. Speculation circulates in their small town about her controversial past—a rumored abortion that led to her marriage being annulled, leaving the family in disarray. As a result, Bud bears the brunt of his parents' disappointment and their high hopes for his future, compelling him to enroll at Yale University. The weight of these expectations becomes unbearable, triggering a physical and emotional breakdown that nearly costs him his life.
Seeking solace, Bud turns to another student, Juanita (Jan Norris), who willingly engages in a liaison with him. However, the heartbreak that follows when he ends things with her pushes Deanie into rebelliousness. She starts to mimic her sister's wild ways and even attends a party with another boy, "Toots" Tuttle. Deanie's encounter with Bud outside the party reveals her desperation for connection. When he rebuffs her advances, shocked at her behavior, she seeks comfort in Toots, culminating in a harrowing experience where she narrowly escapes a near-rape situation. In a moment of sheer despair, she attempts to end her life by plunging into a pond but is saved just in time from drowning over the falls.
Her parents, desperate to find a resolution, sell off their stock to pay for her institutionalization, an act that unwittingly brings them financial relief just before the 1929 stock market crash. Inside the institution, Deanie forms a significant bond with fellow patient Johnny Masterson (not included in the actor information), who grapples with his own issues stemming from parental expectations of becoming a surgeon.
Meanwhile, Bud’s time at Yale is fraught with failure, leading him to encounter Angelina (Zohra Lampert), a spirited young woman from an immigrant family who runs a local restaurant. As the world outside crumbles in the wake of the stock market crash, Bud’s father, Ace, succumbs to despair, resulting in a tragic end that forces Bud into the painful role of identifying his father’s body.
By 1931, Deanie's return home marks a bittersweet reunion. The Loomis family has suffered losses—Ace’s fortune has vanished, his wife has left, and Bud's sister has died in a tragic accident. With her mother trying to shield her from further heartache, Deanie is led to believe Bud is unreachable. However, her father’s honest approach reveals the truth: Bud is living on the old family farm now with Angelina and their young son.
During a poignant moment, Deanie and Bud confront the reality of their changed lives. Bud, now burdened with his own family’s responsibilities, shares with Deanie a profound sentiment: > "What's the point? You gotta take what comes." Their reunion underscores the inevitability of their separate paths; now both are resigned to a life where the intense passion of their youth cannot return. As Deanie departs with her friends, they inquire about her lingering feelings for Bud. She realizes a fondness remains, yet acknowledges the fire of their adolescent love has dimmed forever. Unanswered, her voice softly echoes the words from Wordsworth: "Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not; rather find strength in what remains behind."
