His nickname, "Dr. Frigo", means, literally, "Dr. Frozen-Meat"; it refers to his cold, unsympathetic demeanor with patients and colleagues.

He now spends most of his free time with his girlfriend, a beautiful but moody art-dealer descended from a leading member of the Habsburg dynasty and neurotically obsessed with its history.

At the same time, the conspirators seek to recruit Dr. Castillo to their cause: as the son of the assassinated leader, he would be a useful figurehead to lead the planned rebellion.

[1] Dr. Castillo learns that his new patient has early-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, the incurable illness which afflicted Stephen Hawking and Lou Gehrig).

The other conspirators perceive the intensifying symptoms and realize that their revolution will not succeed unless Dr. Castillo takes the place of the ailing leader.