Suddenly Last Summer tells the story of Sebastian Venable, a wealthy poet who died when he was on vacation last summer with his wild cousin Catharine Holly. Upon returning, Catharine’s story of how Sebastian died is deemed so disturbing that she was sent to an institution, paid for by Sebastian’s mother Violet. However, troubled by Catharine’s continuous ramblings, she calls on a doctor that specialises in lobotomies to conduct one on her niece. In interviewing both Violet and Catharine to see if a lobotomy is necessary, the story unravels, slowly, until we discover what really happened to Sebastian Venable.