Stephen is a troubled teen from Maine who is being sent to boarding school. While his father, Richard Portman, is driving him there, they get into a bad argument, and the car swerves into oncoming traffic, killing Richard and putting Stephen into a vegetative state.

Six months later, Richard's second wife and Stephen's stepmother, Mary, is taking care of his every need. Mary is a psychologist who works from home with children and teenagers. She is upset to learn that one of her patients, a deaf-mute child named Tom, is to be transferred to a school in Boston. Later, Mary discusses Stephen with her therapist, Dr. Wilson. While she feels guilty, she has decided to put Stephen in a home to be cared for because he is no longer there and is just a body.