It begins with a violent thunderstorm. Six people become stranded in the gothic English countryside. They include little Judy (Carrie Lorraine), who’s traveling with her selfish, uncaring father, David Bower(Ian Patrick Williams), and her callous, arrogant stepmother Rosemary (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon). They are accompanied by an amiable, mild-mannered businessman Ralph (Stephen Lee), who has given a ride to Isabel (Bunty Bailey) and Enid (Cassie Stuart), two British punk rock girls who are hitchhiking.

Our travelers all wind up at a mansion inhabited by Gabriel (Guy Rolfe) and Hilary Hartwicke (Hilary Mason), a kindly elderly people who appear to be toy makers; their house literally abounds with dolls, puppets, and other beautifully detailed toys. They give Judy a new doll, Mr. Punch, after she had been forced to give up her old teddy bear by her cruel stepmother before they arrived at the house. The Hartwickes invite the stranded travelers to join them for dinner and stay as guests until the storm ends. What could possibly go wrong?