Joseph Losey's gentle parable concerning tolerance and understanding had the ill luck to be completed right before R.K.O. shifted hands to Howard Hughes. Hughes, an advocate of entertainment over message, tried to re-edit it and tone down its theme of tolerance. As it stands, the film deals with lonely child Peter Frye (Dean Stockwell), made an orphan by World War II, who finds himself shuttled from one relative to another -- until he finally ends up living in safety and security with elderly small-town waiter Gramps (Pat O'Brien). Then one morning, Peter wakes up to discover that his hair has turned green. Now the town looks at him in a totally different way -- children make fun of him, adults are disturbed at his appearance, and even the friendly milkman turns against him. Gramps try to calm down the local townsfolk when Peter runs away, but they refuse to listen. Instead they decide to band together to find Peter and shave his head.