A boy hears his parents arguing, and then is sent off to school before their coming divorce. He is silent and reserved, but also headstrong, and he crosses one of his teachers. His need for love is continually meeting rebuff. He Ends a dog at school which resembles his dog at home, but he is forbidden to play with it. His parents, who come separately to see him, cannot help. He incurs the enmity of a priest who refuses to give him communion, claiming he is not ready for it, and gradually the boy's revolt is solidified...

Fine acting, careful direction and a definite insight into the boy's growing revolt keep this of interest academic and lacking a forceful dramatic pitch, the novelty of its reserved look a youth in change and self-realization avoids sentiment and comes off as a well-meaning, slow-moving, but humanly probing film.