Dr. MacLeod (Robert Stack), an idealistic psychiatrist, has developed a new type of therapy for severely disturbed individuals at a mental institution. However, head nurse Lucretia Terry (Joan Crawford) resists these changes, feeling that the only effective ways of dealing with patients are force and punishment. Even though MacLeod is rebuffed by many of the hospital staff, his methods show promise on some patients, including the frenzied Lorna Medford (Polly Bergen).