On a lark, mild-mannered college professor Doris Peechum accepts a role in the college's fall play. And then her well-ordered life turns upside down. Her mother becomes ill, her relationship with the history professor turns serious, and for the first time in her life, she finds herself attracted to one of her students. Struggling to maintain her dignity and composure through a series of life-altering events, Doris makes some poor choices and loses her sense of control. Her lack of discretion brings her finally before a counsel of students and faculty to determine her fate at the college. In the end, she has to face the truth about her colleagues and, most importantly, herself.