Following the death of his wife, Guy Jones (Jeremy Irons) is moved by his company to a sleepy seaside town, where, faced with knowing no-one and nights of boredom in front of the TV, he decides to join the local amateur dramatics society.

He is enthusiastically welcomed by eccentric Welsh Director, Dafydd (Anthony Hopkins), but it is not long before Guy realizes that the action on stage is nothing compared with the jealousy, suspicion and seduction that carries on when rehearsals are finished!