Dr. Alan Strauss, a therapist mourning the death of his wife, takes on an enigmatic new client; as the two men wrestle with very different, individual problems, their professional relationship is transformed by a choice that binds them together.
Sam delves more deeply into the reason he entered therapy, but he encounters resistance from Dr. Strauss as he attempts to continue their sessions; a gathering sense of not being alone leads to a revelation about the house.
On the threshold of crisis, Sam honors the promise Dr. Strauss made him make as a condition for continuing their work together; the trust built between patient and doctor is tested, with a life in the balance.
Dr. Strauss struggles with the reality he finds himself in. Sam is consumed with practical necessities, but agrees to his therapist’s advice to make different choices.
Dr. Strauss is honest with himself about his failures, past and present. A revelation about his relationship with Ezra leads him back to the urgency of escape. Sam loses faith in his doctor.