Dr merek vance runs a clinic for the underprivileged in pittsburgh on a visit to blairtown where he grew up he finds himself sharing a taxi with wealthy emily blair a snobbish rich girl he never liked when they were children but she has since contracted meningitis and is deaf merek agrees to examine emily and embarks on a long course of treatment with little success when emily learns that merek is developing a new serum she insists on becoming his guinea pig reluctantly he agrees one