故事发生在基特里奇总督学校中,詹姆斯(威廉·赫特 William Hurt 饰)是在这里任教的教师。凭借着自己特立独行的教学手段,詹姆斯很快就获得了学生的好感和同事的信任,对于在这里的平静生活,詹姆斯本人亦十分满意。 萨拉(玛丽·玛特琳 Marlee Matlin 饰)曾经是这所学校的学生,毕业后,她几经辗转,回到了此地当起了清洁工。因为生理的残疾,萨拉个性孤僻,但这反而吸引了詹姆斯的注意,他主动接近莉兹,希望莉兹能够重拾自信继续学习深造。随着时间的推移,莉兹对于詹姆斯的态度从一开始的及其抗拒转而变成了略有好感,她的性格开始慢慢转变,和詹姆斯的距离也原来越近。可就在这时,新的问题又出现了。。一个年轻的拿破仑军官追踪一个神秘的女人而来到一个年迈男爵的城堡,在那里他发现这个女人是听命于一个老巫婆,其最终目的是迫使男爵自杀……
Roger directed for two days on a set left over from a previous production, and without a proper script. He hired Francis Coppola to write a script and finish the picture. After five weeks of shooting, Roger fired Francis, and hired me to finish the picture. Jack Hill was hired to write a new script with me. A lot of what Francis shot was thrown out, except for the stuff with the witch from WIZARD OF OZ. (Dorothy Newman), and I finished the picture in five days of shooting. All of the interiors are Roger's (with the exception of Francis's witch's lair), and most of the exteriors are mine. To the best of my recollection, and contrary to legend, Jack Nicholson did not direct any of the film.。