Oliver ("Ollie") Pope is in a hurry. The nervous and distracted man's mind is not on his driving, and as a result, he slams his 1956 Ford Fairlane into Timmy Danbers, a young boy delivering newspapers on a bicycle, injuring him seriously enough that the boy eventually dies of his injuries. Pope stops, but then, instead of offering aid, hurries off, trying to conceal his part in the accident. His wife, Lillian, and his co-workers notice that he is increasingly irritable. A co-worker, Pete Radcliff, is inaccurately identified by a witness and Pope does everything to foment that erroneous suspicion. Before long, the vehicle seems to take on a mind of its own. The vehicle itself rebels against its owner: at first, when Ollie Pope is near the car, it honks its horn, flashes its lights, attempts