Elliot Freeman, Lee Philips, a war veteran with a long family history of mental illness, becomes a pariah in his small town after his wealthy father dies in a hunting accident in which Elliot was present. With his standing crushed, he withdraws to the imposing family manor and earns a living as a quiet portrait artist, letting the shadows of his past settle around him.
While he works on a model, Dolores Martello, [Kaye Elhardt], visits, and Elliot is soon joined by his attorney, Adrian Benedict [Shepperd Strudwick], who brings paperwork for Elliot to sign regarding the tuition for his sister Lynn. The arrangement threads through the days that follow, adding a practical urgency to the already fraught family dynamics.
At the local tavern, Elliot and Dolores’s boyfriend Charlie, [James Farentino], clash in a tense, volatile exchange. Dolores leaves with Elliot, and in a secluded moment she confesses her love for him, recalling a previous encounter they shared six months earlier. She reveals she is pregnant with Charlie’s child and warns that he might spread rumors that the baby is Elliot’s. The confrontation grows heated; Elliot strikes her when she is incensed by a cruel comparison to his “crazy” father. That same night, Dolores is viciously stabbed to death by a cloaked figure, and the town reels with shock and fear.
The next day, Lynn Freeman, [Margot Hartman], arrives from New York City to transfer to the local women’s college. When Elliot escorts Lynn to the campus, he reconnects with Carol Bishop, [Jean Hale], an instructor there who quickly takes a liking to him. Lieutenant Palmer, [Dick Van Patten], begins to investigate Dolores’s murder, questioning Elliot and Charlie, who works at the college as a handyman. Silvia, [Sylvia Miles], one of Charlie’s side girlfriends, supplies a false alibi for him, complicating the case further. Adrian arrives to help Elliot when the police press for a confession, adding another layer of leverage and protection.
As the days unfold at the college, a female student, Alice St. Clair, [Lorraine Rogers], makes advances toward Charlie, and the two have sex in a closet, a moment that will turn ominous in hindsight. Palmer intensifies his inquiry, pressing Elliot to account for his behavior and past actions. In a dangerous turn, Elliot admits to Carol that he killed his abusive father and that Adrian helped secure his earlier acquittal.
That night at the tavern, Charlie knocks Elliot unconscious, steals his car, and drives to a lake with Alice, where he discovers he cannot swim. Silvia watches with mounting dread as Charlie departs with Alice. At the water’s edge, Charlie’s inability to swim becomes dangerous, and the pair fight; he punches Alice, leaving her unconscious, and drags her to shore before fleeing. When Alice regains consciousness, she is confronted by a cloaked figure who slashes her to death, leaving the town whispering about a killer in the shadows.
News of Alice’s murder reaches Silvia, who realizes Charlie may be a killer after all. She tries to call Lieutenant Palmer to confess her lie about the alibi, but Charlie interrupts, attacking her and stealing away on his motorcycle. A police pursuit ends with Charlie in custody, bringing a measure of relief to Elliot, who hopes life will return to some semblance of normal.
Elliot returns home to a tense silence until Carol arrives, only to be seized moments later by Adrian and his brutish chauffeur, Max [Mike O'Dowd], who intend to escort him to a mental institution. Carol arrives just in time to witness the danger, and Elliot makes a daring escape by leaping from the moving car and slipping into the woods. Carol searches the mansion, pursued by Adrian, who closes the distance with menacing intent.
An upstairs confrontation unfolds when Carol confronts the cloaked assailant; the attack is thwarted by Adrian and Elliot. Elliot pursues the figure through the house and discovers that the killer is Lynn. Lynn, raging and unmoored, confesses that she view—fueled by the fear of losing Elliot’s attention—drove her to commit the murders. She had arrived in town the day Dolores was killed, killed Dolores, and then killed Alice after spotting Elliot’s car at the lake; she also reveals that she fired the shot that killed their father, not Elliot. With Lynn incarcerated, Elliot and Carol can finally begin to envision a peaceful life together, free from the heavy shadow of their family's past.
