Well-intentioned Margaret Landi (Joan Crawford) is a generous soul who couldn't be more different from her rapacious husband, Carlo (Rossano Brazzi). When Margaret rescues a blind deaf-mute named Esther (Heather Sears, in a BAFTA Award-winning role) from her fetid surroundings and creates a charity campaign around her, Carlo not only tries to cash in on the business but also assaults the girl, forcing Margaret to make a deadly decision.