A governess, Miss Giddens, is hired to care for two orphans, Flora and Miles, at their wealthy uncle's expansive and isolated country estate. The uncle, disinterested in raising the children himself, gives Miss Giddens full authority and responsibility. Miss Giddens is eager to take on the position and forms a particularly close bond with the children. Upon her arrival, she finds the estate's housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, who informs her about the tragic deaths of the previous governess, Miss Jessel, and the valet, Peter Quint, who both shared a mysterious and intimate relationship.

As Miss Giddens settles into her new role, she begins to witness strange occurrences - inexplicable sounds, glimpses of figures wandering the estate, and the children's odd behavior. Flora and Miles exhibit knowledge and attitudes that seem far beyond their years, raising questions about what they may have witnessed under the previous governess's care. Miss Giddens becomes convinced that the ghosts of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint are haunting the estate and that the two have a malevolent grip on the children. She takes it upon herself to protect Flora and Miles and to confront the specters she believes are corrupting them, leading to increasingly unsettling and eerie experiences within the old mansion.