Joan Crawford is at her devious best in this classic 1950`s potboiler. She portrays Eva Phillips, a hard-as-nails Southern matriarch uses her imperious nature to control the lives of all who live in her mansion. This includes her husband Avery (Barry Phillips), a wealthy mill owner driven to drink by her insidious ways and blatant infidelities. Things begin to backfire for the queen bee, however, when she learns that Avery`s sister Carol (Betsy Palmer) is engaged to Judson Prentiss (John Ireland), a man who also happens to be Eva`s secret lover.