Laura Reynolds is a newly-wed young woman adjusting to her new life at the boys' school where her husband is a teacher. She struggles to acclimate, as she is not interested in much of the activity that occurs at the school. She also feels a distance growing between her and her husband.

Bill Reynolds is Laura's husband, a large and hardy man who is very emotionally closed-off. He prides himself on his transformation from a lonely, slight boy to a man's man.

Tom Lee is a student at the boys' school who falls in love with Laura. An unhappy family life and bullying at school have made Tom a lonely, sensitive young man who finds solace in music. Scandal erupts throughout the school after Tom sunbathes nude with a teacher. Laura defends Tom, partially because he reminds her of her first husband who passed away.

Herbert Lee is Tom's father, a businessman obsessed with appearances. Herbert is friends will Laura's husband Bill, to whom he expresses his concerns about his son and expresses his desires that Tom was more like the other boys at the school.

Al Thompson is Tom's roommate and the captain of the baseball team. He is Tom's polar opposite: tough, athletic, and popular. Despite this, Al maintains a friendship with Tom and refuses to move to a new room the following school year. However, Al's father convinces him to move out.

David Harris is the teacher with whom Tom sunbathed. Harris is believed to be homosexual, and the scandal surrounding he and Tom costs him his job.

Lilly Sears is another faculty wife who lives on school grounds who takes Laura under her wing. She is a vain woman who revels in the crushes the boys have on her.