Crime drame directed by Joseph Losey under the pseudonym Victor Hanbury, due to his blacklisting in America. When criminal Frank Clemmons (Dirk Bogarde) tries to rob psychiatrist Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) at gunpoint, Esmond overpowers him. Instead of calling the police, Esmond takes Clemmons home with him, seeking to cure his criminal behaviour through psychoanalysis. Esmond's wife Glenda (Alexis Smith) is initially uncertain about their new guest, but they are soon involved in an intense affair, with devastating consequences.