Guy Bennett (Rupert Everett) and Tommy Judd (Colin Firth) are two handsome young men attending an English boarding school during the 1930's. Bennett is openly gay, while Judd is a Marxist. Bennett falls in love with James Harcourt (Cary Elwes) and the pair embark on a homosexual affair, but do not conceal their mutual affection. The hypocrisy of the other boys attending the school, many of whom are also having affairs, eventually drives the couple to extreme measures. Judd meanwhile, finds that as a Marxist, his beliefs are in direct opposition to the role he is offered as school prefect.
One day a teacher walks in on Martineau (Philip Dupuy) and a boy from another house engaged in mutual masturbation. Martineau subsequently kills himself because of the shame of having been found in a homosexual embrace, and chaos erupts as teachers and the senior students try their hardest to keep the scandal away from parents and the rest of the outside world. The gay scandal however gives the army-obsessed house captain Fowler (Tristan Oliver), who dislikes both Bennett and Judd, a welcome reason to scheme against Bennett to keep him from becoming a "god"-- a school name for the elite pupils of the school. Fowler is able to intercept a love letter from Bennett to James Harcourt. Bennett agrees to be punished so as not to compromise Harcourt.
Meanwhile, Judd is reluctant to become a prefect, since he feels that he cannot endorse a "system of oppression" such as this, and has a memorable, bitter speech about how the boys oppressed by the system grow up to be the fathers who maintain it. He eventually agrees to become a prefect in order to prevent the hateful Fowler from becoming Head of House. This never comes about, however, because Donald Devenish (Rupert Wainwright) agrees to stay at school and become a prefect if he is nominated to become a god instead of Bennett. Devastated at the loss of his cherished dream of becoming a god Bennett comes to realize that the British class system strongly relies on outward appearance and that to be openly gay is a severe hindrance to a career as a diplomat. The epilogue of the movie states that he emigrated to Russia later in his life, after having been a spy for the Soviet Union. Judd dies fighting in the Spanish Civil War.
Part coming-of-age film, part social commentary, this award-winning drama is loosely based on the life of Guy Burgess of the Burgess/McLain "Cambridge spies" incidents. The ending seems abrupt, and questions remain unanswered with nothing resolved. But it was suitable for its intended theatrical medium, and is one of the factors that ensures the film's endurance. It poses thoughtful inquiries that still deserve contemplation. Michael Storey composed the original music, Julian Mitchell wrote the screenplay from his own stage play, and Marek Kanievska directed.
