Denys Barry is convinced that telepathy is possible and his clinical research at the Oakdale State Psychiatric Institute supports his hypothesis. But Barry's research is jeopardized after he suffers a violent seizure during an experiment which he sputters "cosmic" nonsense. Soon after Barry discovers that a criminal patient named Joe Slaader was admitted into Oakdale at the same time as Barry's outburst. Barry is convinced his mind has somehow tapped into Slaader's delusion.