"Stark Fear" is the story of Ellen Winslow, who hungers for affection but finds herself chained to a hate-warped husband Gerald. Ellen gets a job, which is more than George seems to be able to do, but he disappears in a jealous rage, but Ellen's sense of loyalty and duty won't let her abandon him, so she goes looking for him in his home town. Gerald attacks her anew, and she is subjected to painful humiliation and abuse by Gerald's best friend, lecherous old Harvey Suggett, at a Comanche tribal dance. The hidden Gerald watches with sadistic delight. Ellen buries herself in her work, to forget her anguish, and falls in love with her employer, Cliff Kane, and they both take a business weekend at the "Little Switzerland" resort in Arkansas. Ellen tells Gerald that he is too emotionally warped for marriage and divorces him, and to prove she is wrong he tries to kill her.