Masahi Shibata is accused of two murders. He is examined by a psychiatrist, and something strange happens: he begins to shake all over. First his hands, then the arms and, finally, his whole body. Professor Fujishiro and his assistant Kafka continue to examine the accused. Suddenly, Shibata's gaze hardens and he leaps at Kafka's neck, in an attempt to strangle her. The other face of this man, apparently a schizophrenic, is revealed for the first time.

     Shibata, the accused, admits to having knifed Osamu Hatada and his wife Megumi Hatada, five months pregnant. The motive, he explains, was the fact that Megumi Hatada had interrupted his performance in a play where he was acting in a one-man show. During the trial, when the judge asks if he has anything to add, Shibata begins to recite passages from his play. By reason of his unbalanced behavior, he is forwarded on to a psychiatric clinic.

     Professor Fujishiro comes to the conclusion that the accused suffers from schizophrenia, and that he can not be charged for his actions. Kafka, however, does not agree with the verdict, and maintains that Shibata only tried to strangle her to forge mental problems. Obsessed with proving her theory, Kafka eventually discovers that Shibata's past is strongly connected to the life of Osamu Hatada, one of his victims.