- A man sees the number nine everywhere and is convinced the forces of evil are at work.
- The story opens with surgeons operating on a man's skull, during which he mutters "Leave my soul alone" and dies. The patient is Dr Samuel Holt, a neurosurgeon himself.
Newly appointed morgue worker Edwin Bord (Peter McEnery) becomes obsessed with number 9, which is being often repeated to him in his everyday interactions with people and experiences. Dr. Holt's body is autopsied by Markham (Peter Birrel) and Dr. Harris (Emrys James) who is very logical and jovial, with Edwin watching and it is learned that Holt tried drilling a hole in his skull to liberate an evil virus invading his body, which led to Subdural hemorrhage and thereafter he died during surgery for the same. Edwin begins to think that he is being persecuted by the evil virus too as he is a good person, his suspicions supported by coincidence and confirmation bias.
Edwin lives with his cranky natured mother (Annie Dyson), with a pretty estranged tenant lady Stella (Georgina Hale) and her baby as their neighbor. He visits a rector Father Macintosh (Antony Brown) for advice, but runs away when he sees 9 mentioned as the date of service. Edwin finds that Dr Holt when alive wanted to sacrifice a baby and eat it to drive out the virus, prompted by voices in his head, but was stopped by police. Edwin begins to think his mother is responsible for the virus and also for his father's death. He believes that Dr Holt was targeted by everyone, and since Holt died, they are targeting him as the next victim. Stella offers to help Edwin, saying that he needs love, he should send his mother to an old age home and thereafter she will look after him. Edwin kills his mother and he and Stella hide her in the freezer. Father Macintosh visits the house to help Edwin. Edwin continues to obsess over number 9 and develops psychosomatic symptoms. He falls into a trance like state, and sees his colleagues Dr. Harris and Markham, Stella, a psychiatrist Dr. Manders (Conrad Phillips), conspiring as an evil team wanting him to eat Stella's baby for the devil's sake. Onto the scene bursts Father Macintosh with a cross, who drives away everyone and exorcises Edwin, but is attacked by Stella like a dog.
Edwin wakes up in the hospital, and is told by Harris and Dr. Manders that he had an attack of severe delusion of persecution, and now he is better as he has responded to medication. They decide to send him back to his old job as an operation theatre assistant. On radio Edwin learns of three nurses who have died by a yet undiagnosed viral infection of the brain in the country. Back home Edwin finds Stella, but is reminded of his mother and sees her body in the freezer, after which he again develops delusions.
In the end, while working in operation theatre, Edwin injects his scalp with local anesthetic and drills a hole in his skull to liberate the virus, and the story ends with surgeons operating on him just as they were operating on Dr Holt in the beginning for subdural hemorrhage, as Edwin says "Leave my soul alone".
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