Plot: It's the pre-WWII era. Peyton Place is a small town in New England, whose leading adult citizens rule the town with their high moral standards, which they try to pass on to their offspring. The adults, especially those that wield power largely through their positions and/or through their wealth, will not tolerate anything they believe morally improper, even if there is a hint of impropriety without comprehensive evidence to back up the hints. As their offspring grow from teenagers to adults, the offspring learn that there is much hypocrisy by the adults lying underneath that façade of proper Christian morals. The offspring begin to rebel in different ways, which is brought to public scrutiny with the arrival into town of an "outsider", the new young high school principal Michael Rossi, and through a murder trial.
Alternative Plot: In this adaptation of Grace Metalious' popular novel, steamy goings-on abound in the small, prim New England community of Peyton Place. Newcomer Michael Rossi (Lee Philips) arrives in town on the eve of World War II and is soon involved with gorgeous but prudish shop owner Constance MacKenzie (Lana Turner), who keeps some secrets from her daughter, Allison. Amidst engagements and school graduations, Michael discovers seething, dark undercurrents that include rape, suicide -- and murder.
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