Cynthia Kyle violently ends her parents' lives as they are intimate; she has always desired only her father's affection. Eight years later, now free, she seeks marriage but is haunted by nightmares and begins psychiatric treatment. Her doctor asks her to describe a dream – a lengthy, complex sequence featuring Lucifer, Hell, and her parents in different forms. To alleviate her guilt, the doctor suggests she end her life within the dream. In the dream, she experiences love with an artist resembling her father, is desired by a woman, and has her first schoolyard kiss. The dream culminates back at her parents' bedside. Is recovery possible?