The film starts with a meeting of graduates. One man stands aside and avoids communication with others. Silently he goes to a near house and asks to enter a room, he says that many years ago he lived in this room. He looks out of the window and scenes of his past follow.
Being a student Tom Lee was considered odd and others guys gave him a nickname “sister boy”. Tom was very sensitive and shy. He liked to listen to music, and not popular but classic, he read books, liked to go to the theatre and preferred company of women. Once on the beach instead of playing with other boys he stayed with the teachers’ wives and helped one of them to sew buttons to the shirt.
Tom lived in the house of the coach Bill Reynolds. Tom’s father was his friend and when he dropped Tom he asked Bill to make a man of his son. But Bill now saw that he failed as Tom did not change and kept being sensitive and did not behave manly.
The coach’s wife Laura made friends with Tom and tried to support him, though Bill was against it. bill insisted that Laura should not get close with the boys, and the only things he could offer them were tea and sympathy.
With time, Laura felt affection for this boy as he reminded her first husband, who died in the Second World War. Tom also got attached to Mrs. Reynolds.
In despair because of constant mocking Tom went to Ellie, a local prostitute, to become a man, but he could not. He went to the kitchen, took a knife and tried to commit suicide. Fortunately he was stopped.
Next day Tom is not found. Laure knew where he might be and went to find him. There, under the tree near the golf field she found Tom. In a moment of passion Tom finally "became a man."
Ten years passed. And now Tom is looking out of the window of the house where all these events took place. He enters the room of the coach. Tom finds that Laura has left her husband, as he could not stay with him after what had happened. Bill gives Tom a note left by Laura for Tom. In this note Tom reads that Laura had always an affection for him.
