Middle-aged chemistry professor Martin (Werner Krauss) suffers a traumatic psychological break when a murder occurs next door while he is trimming his young wife's hair. Soon after, Martin is possessed by images of murdering his wife (Ruth Weyher) with sharp objects. When he is then beset by fearful, inexplicable nightmares and paranoia, he consults renowned psychiatrist Dr. Orth. After pouring over details of Martin's dreams, Orth struggles to get to the root of his patient's disturbance.