In a future surveillance and treatment society where imaginative literature is censored, author Adam Gregor lives an unhappy life. During an argument with his wife, who is prone to conformity, he pushes her over the staircase landing and now believes he has killed her. However, society does not operate with the concept of guilt, and Adam cannot be convicted of murder, but is released after psychiatric treatment. He tries to get in touch with his young son, but encounters a friendly but determined power structure. At the same time, he is monitored by the authorities, who hope he will contact his oppositionist publisher.
