Father Goddard (Richard Burton) is the headmaster of a Catholic boarding school and the target of a prank that goes too far. A boy confesses to the murder of a fellow student and of disposing of the body in the nearby woods. When Father Goddard investigates the claim, he discovers the deception but is unable to say anything due to the secrecy of the confessional. When more confessions to similar crimes and the disappearance of students take place, Father Goddard is torn by his sworn duty as a priest and his sense of morality and justice. A climatic finish reveals some surprises in this film, one of Richard Burton's last films.