Plot summary

While riding on a bus in London, Leonora (Elizabeth Taylor), a fading prostitute, discovers that she is being stared at by Cenci (Mia Farrow), a sad-faced younger woman who bears a remarkable resemblance to Leonora's recently deceased daughter. Cenci follows Leonora to her daughter's grave and invites her to the shuttered old mansion where she lives. There, Leonora learns that she closely resembles Cenci's dead mother. Touched by Cenci's need for love and intrigued by the luxury surrounding her, Leonora succumbs to the young girl's wish that she stay on and live with her as her mother.Explaining to Cenci's two greedy aunts, Hilda (Pamela Brown) and Hannah (Peggy Ashcrof), that she is the dead mother's sister, Leonora assumes her role with ease, settles down to a life of comfort, and becomes devoted to the child-like Cenci with them sharing a bed, bathing together, and doing everything together in a faux mother-daughter like relationship. Eventually, however, Leonora learns that Cenci is really 22-years-old, that her stepfather, Albert (Robert Mitchum), was banished from the house for attempting to seduce her, and that her mother was hopelessly insane.Returning to the mansion one day, Leonora finds Cenci cowering under a table after a visit from Albert. Cenci convinces Leonora that she has been raped by her stepfather, and the two leave for the seashore. Albert follows and confronts Leonora with the fact that Cenci is a sexual psychotic who has repeatedly tried to seduce him. Realizing the truth of his statement, which is supported by Cenci's infantile attempt to appear pregnant by stuffing her dress with a doll, Leonora desperately tries to force Cenci to face reality. Instead, Cenci seeks out Albert on the beach, consummates her love for him, and sends Leonora away.A short time later, Leonora visits Cenci, asks to be forgiven, and pleads for the chance to resume their former mother-daughter relationship. But Cenci sends her away once more and then commits suicide. When Leonora and Albert meet in silence at Cenci's funeral, Leonora suddenly pulls out a knife and plunges it into Albert, killing him.