| Director | Ida Lupino |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film |
| Runtime | 75 min |
| Country | United States |
Ann Walton is a young bookkeeper whose steady boyfriend Jim Owens announces that he has received a raise, prompting the young couple to finally become engaged and inform Ann's parents. A man who works at the concession stand where Ann works takes an interest in her and tries to flirt with her, but she is uninterested.
Staying late at work one night, Ann notices that she is being stalked and tries to flee from the man who is following her. She is unable to hide and is eventually caught and raped by the man who works the concession stand. Ann is only able to recall having seen a scar on the man's neck.
Returning home, Ann's parents learn what happened and contact the police. Though the police and Ann's family, friends and fiancé are supportive, she believes that the neighbors are gossiping about her and that Jim can no longer see her as she once was. After being forced to review a police lineup of men with scars, none of whom she can identify as her attacker, Ann runs away, taking the bus to Los Angeles on a whim.
While the bus driver is on a break, Ann overhears on the radio that her parents are looking for her and have identified her as the victim of a rape. Ann runs away from the bus and sprains her ankle where she is found by a man named Rev. Bruce Ferguson. He takes Ann to an orange farm belonging to his friends the Harrisons. He does his best to help Ann, eventually securing her a job as a bookkeeper for the Harrisons. Ann and Ferguson grow increasingly close. When Ferguson asks her to attend a local festival, she agrees, but when another attendee pressures her for a kiss, she is reminded of her rape and attacks him with a wrench.
Ann is forced to stand trial, but Ferguson wants to determine why she snapped and learns of her rape. He persuades the judge to commute her sentence, and instead she sees a psychiatrist for a year. After the psychiatric treatment has concluded, Ann wants to stay with Ferguson and pursue a relationship with him, but he advises her to face life's challenges and encourages her to return to her old life and to Jim.