Henry Buchanan, an English schoolmaster, comes to teach in a small Canadian town. His outspoken views on the evil of the approaching World War II causes a ripple in the small town, and when it is discovered that he was a conscientious objector in World War I, the citizens of the town are outraged. But it's his friendships with both the enigmatic rich recluse Mrs Boswell and Clarissa, the daughter of the town's most prominent citizen, that will get Henry into the most trouble of all...