Out of the poignant loneliness of adolescence and the strange bond between black and white in the American south of the 1940s, Carson McCullers fashioned one of the most beautiful plays of a generation based on her own powerful novel. Jarvis and Janice are about to be married, but Jarvis' young sister Frankie begins to act crazy as the wedding day approaches. Motherless since birth, Frankie convinces herself that she will run away with the bride and groom. Despite the wisdom and advice offered by the family's cook Berenice, Frankie's conviction continues to grow with near-tragic consequences.