Magda (Jane Birkin) is the unwed daughter of a white South African farmer (Trevor Howard). Spending much of her time looking after her father, Magda leads an uneventful and isolated life, largely avoiding other people. However, that changes when Magda discovers that her father has been having an affair with one of the farm's African workers. Unable to handle the revelation that her dad has a mistress, Magda takes surprisingly drastic and violent action.