Determined to pull in the Pulitzer Prize, reporter Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) will go to any length necessary to win the coveted award. When he learns of an unsolved murder committed at a mental institution, Barrett devises a scheme to solve it and earn himself recognition. With the assistance of a psychiatrist and his girlfriend (Constance Towers), Barrett convinces the doctors at the institution to commit him. Once inside, he begins his investigation -- and gradually loses his mind.