A son longs to escape from his stifling home, where his genteel mother worries about the future prospects of his lame, shy sister.

Tom and Laura Wingfield live with their harsh, controlling mother Amanda. Tom longs to break free from his mother's clutches but feels an obligation towards his family, especially Laura who is physically and mentally frail. Laura's life centres on her glass menagerie, a way to escape from the world.—grantss