Brainstorm

Jim Grayam spots a car stopped on the tracks of a railroad crossing with a sleeping woman inside. He smashes the window and pulls the car to safety just ahead of a speeding train. The abrupt rescue becomes the catalyst for the ensuing relationship between Grayam and Lorrie Benson.

Grayam identifies the woman as Lorrie Benson and drives her to Cort Benson's mansion. He is a highly regarded systems analyst at Benson Industries, admired for his intelligence. This encounter sets the stage for the tension and attraction that follow.

When Lorrie awakens, she admits she parked the car on the tracks as a suicide attempt and resents Grayam for saving her. Grayam declines a $1,000 reward, insisting he acted without personal gain. The admission hints at her dependence on him and the dangerous undercurrents of their relationship.

Impressed by his selfless rescue, Lorrie recruits Grayam for a scavenger hunt, and their relationship quickly turns romantic. The affair begins to complicate Grayam's life at Benson Industries as rumors swirl about his motives.

As the romance deepens, Cort Benson begins to smear Grayam's reputation at Benson Industries, making it appear as if he is having a nervous breakdown. The strain threatens Grayam's career and sows distrust within the company.

Dr. Elizabeth Larstadt, a psychoanalyst, is asked to examine Grayam and finds him to have a volatile personality. The diagnosis reinforces Cort's tactic of branding Grayam unstable and pits science against loyalty.

Grayam hatches a diabolical scheme to kill Cort Benson, but to make the murder look like an act of insanity so he can be sent to a psychiatric institution rather than the gas chamber. He plans to stage his own madness and later be released.

The scheme works and Dr. Larstadt's testimony lands Grayam in a sanatorium rather than a prison cell. He follows a path to slowly prove he is safe to release, keeping his ultimate aim alive.

Inside the sanatorium, the behavior of the other inmates chips away at Grayam, driving him slowly toward further instability. The isolation and interactions with the inmates magnify his paranoia and volatility.

When Lorrie visits, Grayam discovers she now has another man in her life. The betrayal compounds his desperation and questions about his future.

Desperation grows as Grayam confides in Dr. Larstadt, claiming she is the only one who truly understands him and even professes his love. The doctor listens but remains professionally detached, judging his sincerity.

Dr. Larstadt reveals she is testing his claim of unbalance, ensuring her assessment is correct and that she can determine whether he is safe to release. The exchange underscores the clinical distance that governs the situation.

Grayam's attempt to escape is thwarted as hospital security guards carry him away, ending his latest bid for freedom. The sequence marks a grim reinforcement of his confinement and the futility of his plans.