Three years after murdering his parents, Patrick (Thompson) lies in a coma at the Roget Clinic, a private hospital in Melbourne. Following a job interview with Matron Cassidy (Blake), the head of the hospital, Kathie Jacquard (Penhaligon) is taken on as Patrick's new nurse. The hospital's owner, Dr. Roget (Helpmann), explains Patrick's condition to Kathie and says he is being kept alive to explore the nature of life and death. He also says that another patient, Capt. Fraser (Pym), claims that Patrick "flies in and out of the window at night." Elsewhere, Kathie deals with her ex-husband Ed (Mullinar), who she recently separated from.