Seeking to leave his prominent Boston family and privileged background behind, Doctor Wade Bowers comes to practice in a small New England town. With his Ivy League education and the finest surgical training, he is welcomed by nearly everyone. But not by internist Miles Warner, a native son of humble origins and a product of the state university. Warner views Bowers as an elitist intruder who has no place in his hometown. They instantly dislike one another. Over the years, antagonism escalates to obsession and hatred, with fatal results.