Freddie Clegg (Terence Stamp) is a quiet and insignificant London bank clerk whose hobby is collecting butterflies. But when he wins $200,000 in the soccer lottery, Freddie's life changes considerably, allowing him to pursue a cherished "specimen" he's long admired from afar -- a beautiful and fun-loving girl named Miranda (Samantha Eggar). Kidnapping Miranda, the deranged collector imprisons her in the cellar of his secluded house. As Miranda tries everything she can think of to escape, the ordeal of her confinement lays bare their souls and looks deep beneath the surface of the obsessive collector and his prey.