Howard is caught in a vicious circle of obsession and torment from having been left by his lover, Lois. Alone for months in his house, he focuses all of his energy and love on a doll he made of Lois, keeping her safe in a wood-and-glass box. The box, like his sanity, comes apart as his memories and the ill-timed arrival of his brother Joe and Sophie torment him, breaking his tenuous grip on reality.