Francie lives with a violent, alcoholic father and a manic depressive, suicidal mother. The pressure on Francie to grow up are immense. When his mother commits suicide and his friend, Joe, goes off to boarding school, Francie sinks ever deeper into paranoia thanks mainly to his nasty neighbour Mrs. Nugent. He begins to have a fantasy where he has visions of the Virgin Mary. After his father dies, Francie's becomes more despondent, culminating in the extremely bloody murder of Mrs. Nugent whom he holds responsible for all the wrongs visited upon him. After being arrested, Francie is committed to an asylum in an attempt to cure him.