PRIVATE LESSONS

Philip "Philly" Fillmore is an adventurous 15-year-old boy and the son of a rich businessman in Phoenix, Arizona; when his father leaves town on an extended trip during summer break, the young man is left in the passing care of Nicole Mallow, a French housekeeper, and Lester Lewis, the family's chauffeur.

Philly is quickly infatuated with Nicole, and after spotting Philly peeping into her room, she invites him inside. To his utter shock, she starts undressing in front of him, but when a fully nude Nicole invites him to touch her, Philly panics and leaves. He shares the story with his best friend Sherman.

Next morning, Nicole invites Philly to visit her at night. After a game of tennis with Sherman, Philly searches for Nicole and finds her in his father's bathtub. She coaxes him into joining her in the tub and starts kissing him but when she tries to take off his swimming trunks, he insists she turn off the lights first. She agrees, but he once again panics when she touches him and rushes out. She apologizes, passionately kisses him good night, and invites him to sleep with her, to no avail. After flirting in a movie theater the following evening, they return home and kiss, prompting an awkward marriage proposal from Philly which she rejects.

After a day's hiatus, the two reconcile, go on a romantic date to a French restaurant, and return home to have sex. During intercourse, Nicole pretends to have a heart attack and die. Panicked, Philly asks Lester to help him hide evidence of his relationship with Nicole. Lester, aware Nicole is in the country illegally, is blackmailing Nicole and helps convince Philly she really died. The two bury a "body" in the mansion's garden, and when the "body" disappears, Philly finds a note demanding he steal $10,000 from his father or else his role in Nicole's "death" will be exposed.

When Nicole has second thoughts about their scheme, Lester threatens to expose her as a child molester. Having developed genuine feelings for Philly, she reveals the truth to him and they convince his tennis coach to pose as a police detective to intimidate Lester. Lester panics but is caught with the money before he can flee the country. Nicole and Philly return the money to the safe, but decide not to expose Lester's treachery. In turn, he reluctantly agrees not to expose Nicole's illegal alien status nor her acts of child molestation.

Nicole fears that Philly's father will eventually discover their affair so she decides to leave for other work. Philly forges a reference letter from his father stating she was "passionate" about her household duties, kept things well "in hand" and gave "everything she had" to her employer. Nicole and Philly make love one last time. When Philly returns to high school at summer's end, he arranges a date with Miss Phipps, one of his teachers.

Nicole's plot with Lester is revealed, Lester's blackmail is thwarted, and Nicole leaves after one last tryst with Philly. Philly returns to school and arranges a date with his teacher.

The ending ties up the illicit summer with Nicole and Philly parting ways, underscoring the consequences and emotional fallout of their taboo relationship. Lester’s comeuppance and Nicole’s departure restore some order, though the closing note—with Philly pursuing his teacher—suggests that his coming-of-age is just beginning, albeit with blurred boundaries and unresolved desires.