Time:  the present.  Location:  Danvers, Massachusetts.  Given the opportunity to clear asbestos from the long-dormant Danvers State Hospital, a sprawling asylum for the insane, abatement specialist Gordon jumps at the chance, claiming in his bid that he and his crew can do the job in one short week.  Gordon brings on four guys:  the dependable yet hot-headed Phil, would-be lawyer Mike, self-styled ladies man Hank, and Gordon’s nephew Jeff, who suffers from nyctophobia. Things seem to be moving along, but when Mike discovers the reel to reel tapes of a former patient named Mary Hobbes and becomes fascinated by her story, a larger tale begins to play out – one that shows startling parallels to the lives of the men shucking fiber in the hospital today.