One snowy evening, an elderly woman tells her granddaughter the story of a young man named Edward, who has scissor blades for hands. Many years earlier, Peg Boggs, a door-to-door Avon saleswoman, drives to the decrepit Gothic mansion where Edward lives, perched on a hill overlooking Peg’s stereotypically pastel suburban neighborhood. The creation of an old inventor, Edward is an ageless humanoid. The inventor homeschooled Edward but died from a heart attack before giving Edward hands, leaving him unfinished. Peg finds Edward alone and offers to take him to her home. She introduces Edward to her husband, Bill, their young son, Kevin, and their teenage daughter, Kim. Edward falls in love with Kim.