Track 29

Linda's husband Henry leads a double life as he carries on an affair with Nurse Stein at his clinic, all behind Linda's back. Linda remains unaware of the betrayal as he spends long hours away under the pretense of work.

Linda, at a cafe with her friend Arlanda, encounters Martin, a hitchhiker who claims to be searching for his birthmother. Martin's accent and history hint at a stranger tie to Linda's past.

That night, Linda is frightened to see Martin standing outside her house, an unsettling visit that foreshadows his claim about being her son. The encounter unsettles Linda and introduces a dangerous presence in her home.

The following day, Martin confronts Linda while she swims in the pool and asserts that he is her biological son. His insistence unsettles Linda, who wavers between belief and doubt.

Martin reveals intimate details about the woman who raised him, the British housekeeper who accompanied him to England after his birth. The revelation deepens Linda's confusion and complicates her feelings toward him.

Linda and Martin go for dinner at a local bar, but a waiter notices Linda crying and talking to herself as if she is interacting with Martin who may be a figment of her imagination. The scene blurs the line between reality and delusion.

Linda recounts to Martin that her conception happened during a rape at a carnival, revealing the traumatic past that led to her pregnancy. Her narration adds layers to the mystery of Martin's identity and Linda's fractured psyche.

Back at home, Martin's behavior vacillates between childlike dependency and alarming Oedipal tendencies toward Linda. Linda responds with a maternal instinct, further blurring the boundaries between mother and son.

Meanwhile, Henry and Nurse Stein attend a local model train convention, where Henry reveals plans to join a new job out of state and asks Stein to accompany him. The personal edge of the couple's relationship unfolds separately from Linda.

Back at home, Linda envisions a semi-truck crashing into her bedroom as Martin destroys Henry's elaborate train set. He then sings a song on the piano that moves Linda to tears.

Linda, shaken, awakens and calls Arlanda, insisting she let the boy they met in the diner into her home. Arlanda seems clueless, forcing Linda to confront the isolation of her experiences.

Linda slowly recounts her rape, pregnancy, and the adoption of her child to Arlanda, deepening the web of truth and fantasy surrounding Martin. The retelling underscores how memory and fiction blur in Linda's mind.

Henry returns to find Arlanda in the house; when Arlanda leaves to get a drink, Henry slaps Linda, but Arlanda intervenes. Linda, dissociated, envisions Martin stabbing Henry to death amid the train set.

The next morning, Linda dresses in an elegant outfit and drives away, ignoring Henry's voice calling out her name as she departs. The act signals a possible escape from her oppressive memory.

Back inside, a pool of Henry's blood is discovered, seeping through floors and dripping from the ceiling—an implication that Henry has been killed, though the truth remains unseen. The scene closes on Linda's absence, leaving the fate of the family murky and inviting interpretation.