Dr. Gutera is assigned to lead group therapy at a state mental hospital.
The play covers several group sessions with six patients: Katherine, a highly intelligent schizophrenic woman; Arthur, a talkative actor suffering from manic-depressive disorder; Martha, who is catatonic; Mr. Cooper, a con man sent to the asylum by the court; Billy, a delusional teenager committed to the asylum by his mother; and Helen, a housewife suffering from depression.
Roger O. Hirson was hired to write the teleplay with John Bartlow Martin serving as a consultant on mental health issues.
[1] The cast included Steven Hill as Dr. Gutera, Mary Astor as Helen, James Dunn as Mr. Cooper, James Gregory as Dr. Endicott, Vivian Nathan as Martha, Mike Nichols as Arthur Millman, Janice Rule as Katherine, David J. Stewart as Dr. Sobik, Peter Votrian as Billy, and Helen Kleeb as the nurse.
The play was rehearsed for two weeks in New York and continued on a jet flight to California.