Tom is a very troubled songwriter. Not only is his career at an all-time low, but the house he has recently become caretaker for is proving to be more than just a little odd. What Tom discovers growing out of the basement floor is terribly unsettling—a human hand, which quickly develops an arm, a head, and a personality of its own. Tom takes care of this growth, becoming its only friend and provider. Tom also finds himself falling in love with a beautiful girl named Veronica, who happens to be his neighbor Philip’s main squeeze. Now Tom is torn between a strange but healthy relationship with The Growth (“Archie”) and an adulterous and troublesome relationship with Veronica, whose life is more mysterious in many ways than The Growth’s.