Brian Martin is a paranoid schizophrenic, plagued with the problem of hearing voices from which he could find no escape. His problem begins very early in his life and progresses over the years. His suffering is shared by his family, particularly his mother whose anxiety begins to adversely affect her health, aggravated further by osteoporosis, a condition that has caused her bones to become so brittle that she eventually fractures her hip in a freak accident.

Brian’s mental condition begins to manifest itself during childhood. He runs away from school, but is soon located. At play time, he isolates himself from other children and demonstrates a behavior so peculiar that the principal becomes concerned enough to report his behavior to his mother, advising her that he should be psychoanalyzed by a child psychiatrist.

He continues to hear hostile voices as he grows older, urging him to run away from home, in order to escape an imminent danger.

The entire family, including the housemaid, become involved with Brian’s problem, and the burden of trying to locate him, each time he runs away, weighs heavily on his brother’s shoulder.

Brian’s participation in group therapy leads to a meeting with a certain girl who happens to be responsive to his problem. It develops into a love affair between them. They get married, but after the birth of their son, they get divorced after having relocated in Winnipeg Canada, where her aunt is instrumental in splitting them apart, after having introduced her to her adopted son whom she finally marries. Brian returns to Los Angeles, heavily medicated, in the company of an escort.

Shortly thereafter, Brian’s mother becomes seriously ill.  She extracts a promise from her older son not to abandon Brian or lose sight of him.

 ——————————————————————————————————————————————-

Brian’s problem is representative of the pain and suffering that many families experience because of a mental problem, such as schizophrenia.

The story fans out around various episodes, pinpointing, in every detail, not only the agony of the victim, but also those that surround him, in an environment charged with uncertainty and debilitating stress.