 Cpt. Walker s plane is shot down during World War 2 and he is presumed dead. Nora Walker meets Frank Hobbs while her son, Tommy is attending "Bernies Holiday Camp" and they are quick to get married. However, one day Cpt. Walker comes home. Tommy follows his silhouette and sees his murder through a mirror that captures his and his fathers soul. Nora and Frank tell Tommy that he didn t see it, hear it, and to never speak of it. This causes him to go Deaf, dumb and blind. They try a few cures, such as a preacher that believes Marilyn Monroe can heal, and a woman named Gypsie "The acid queen". They then give up, and to get out of the house they leave Tommy with the relatives. First up, Cousin Kevin who tortures him. Then Uncle Ernie, who rapes him. Then they decide to leave him by the mirror, which he curiously stares into almost all day. He sees himself beckoning him, and Tommy follows, straight to a junkyard where he finds a device that will change his life, a pinball machine. He becomes the world s greatest player, which makes his family rich. They go to see a doctor, that tells them they need to find some kind of shock to bring Tommy back into our world. The shock comes in the breaking of the mirror, that frees his soul. He believes that he is the new messiah, and a religious cult is formed around him.