A mortar shell, hits joe, a young soldier on the last day of World War I. He lies at a fate worse than death - a quadruple amputee who's lost his arms, legs, eyes, ears, nose and mouth in a hospital bed. Unbeknown to his doctors, he remains conscious and able to think, so reliving his life through strange fantasies and memories and powerless to distinguish whether he is dreaming or awake. He remains frustrated by his situation, until a day when Joe finds a method to communicate with his caregivers.