A mentally unbalanced young man kills a priest. One of the priest's colleagues sets out to find the killer.

A poor and alienated young man (Farley Granger) who is driven to murder when a priest refuses to give is deceased mother an expensive funeral. The film explores the crippling poverty that has prevented the youth from marrying or providing his mother with enough comforts, and has led to his crime. Dana Andrews plays the compassionate assistant of the slain priest who brings about the tormented killer's repentance.—alfiehitchie

St. Stephen's is a poor Catholic parish, the neighborhood in which it is located the home of many down-and-outers, who are just trying to survive. One of the more devout of the parishioners was Mrs. Martin Lynn, who just passed away. Her son, Martin Lynn Jr., is a hard working, conscientious young man, who feels the church has done his family no good. Unable to pay for a lavish funeral for his mother which he feels he owes her, unable to convince the church to do so on his behalf, and unforgiving of the fact that the church would not sanction even a burial for his father who committed suicide years ago, Martin, in a fit of violence, kills the seemingly unsympathetic senior parish priest, Father Kirkman, who admitted that he lost touch with his parishioners in his later years. Following the killing, Martin, not wanting to implicate his loving girlfriend Julie in the crime, tries desperately to find anyone else to help him arrange the lavish funeral. As he is denied at every turn, he begins to alienate those around him. The only person who can at least assist and who Martin hasn't alienated is the parish's junior priest, Father Roth. When Father Roth discovers through other means that Martin killed Father Kirkman, Father Roth prays that Martin will do what's best for his immortal soul.—Huggo