Clive, a matter-of-fact young accountant, is puzzled by the fact that his girlfriend, Sally, refuses to let him see her home so one night he calls there while she is out. He meets her mother, Megan, who drinks heavily and who is haunted by the memory of her husband who was killed years before in a car accident. Megan blames Sally for causing the crash and treats her daughter cruelly. In spite of this, Sally realizes that she must stay and take care of her mother. Still wanting to marry her, Clive suggests that he move in with Sally and Megan. Megan resists, not wanting to give up her unhappy memories, but she is eventually forced to give way arid, as she feared, is turned into a respectable, conforming, teetotal grandmother.