Three children, holidaying in a small Cornish fishing village, become intrigued by the locals' tales of an elusive witch.

A 30-year-old man, who has been in a coma since birth, is finally restored to consciousness by a breakthrough brain operation. Although physically an adult, the man is "reborn" in the eye of an infant; the doctors caring for him must teach him to walk, talk and prepare for life in the outside world. Tension builds as he escapes from the hospital, wanders among people who do not realize his identity, and is hunted by the police.