Michael Carlin, a teacher, has been having an affair with a much younger fellow teacher Carolyn Warmus. When his wife is murdered, the police suspect him due to inconsistencies in his alibi, and no evidence points to anyone else.

Small-town girl Gillian Tremaine enrolls at beauty school in an attempt to jump-start her stalled life. Enter Lucinda, an old friend whose affair with Gillian's father broke up the Tremaine household. As Gillian instinctively turns away from resurfacing issues, circumstance forces her to confront and resolve them once and for all.