A rugby player finds the violence in his professional life tainting his personal relationships.

"You see something you want and you go out and get it. It's as simple as that." Armed with this philosophy and a driving ambition to attain wealth and fame, Frank Machin rejects his obscure life as a miner in northern England and battles his way to public acclaim as the most aggressive player on an English Midlands rugby team. His skill and ruthlessness on the playing field impress all but the one person he is most anxious to please--Mrs. Hammond, the lonely widow in whose home he has taken lodgings. Embittered by the death of her husband in a factory accident (which was rumored to be a suicide), Mrs. Hammond rejects Frank's romantic overtures and denounces him as a self-centered and egotistical brute. Eventually, however, she succumbs to his sexual magnetism and permits him to seduce her, but she remains emotionally isolated. As his fame increases, Frank spends his money freely and flaunts Mrs. Hammond as his mistress. At the wedding of one of Frank's teammates, Mrs. Hammond is suddenly overcome with feelings of guilt, and she savagely reproaches Frank. A series of rows follows, each more vicious than the last, until Frank is forced to leave. He returns when he can no longer stand the separation but finds the house empty. He learns that Mrs. Hammond has suffered a brain hemorrhage and is close to death. Frank visits her at the hospital, and, although she is in a coma, he makes a desperate attempt to show that he is capable of tenderness. Following her death, he returns to the rugby playing field where the crowd admires only savagery and brute force.