 Forbidden desires and long-suppressed family secrets are part of the dark underbelly of provincial life in middle-America at the turn-of-the-century as seen through the eyes of five children growing into adulthood. One of them, Parris Mitchell, pursues his interest in the newly emerging field of psychiatry and uses his knowledge to overcome tragic personal losses as well as the hypocrisy and bigotry of his small town home in order to help his childhood friends.