The scene begins with a woman speaking directly to her husband, saying 'You're more dead than alive.' Her husband lies motionless in an iron lung, connected to various machines that keep him breathing. The wife has removed his mask and is slowly pulling him out of the tube on wheels.

As they exit, the sound machine falls silent, and a clock starts counting down from ten minutes. Inside the lung is millionaire Reginald Armistead, who had been rendered quadriplegic by polio as an infant. Despite being unable to move or speak for himself due to his paralysed body, he converses with his wife about her plans to murder him.

Armistead reveals that he has always suspected something was amiss and tells his wife that she should have simply shot him instead of subjecting him to this agonizing death. He also discloses that before being put in the iron lung for 'observation,' they had made a will leaving everything to charity upon his demise, effectively cutting her out.

Throughout their conversation, Armistead taunts and mocks his wife's feeble attempts at poisoning him through the machines keeping him alive. However, he reveals one final twist - despite appearing lifeless due to being hooked up to an oxygen tank that simulates breathing sounds and movements, in reality, Reginald is still very much alive.

Armistade had cleverly anticipated this scenario years ago by having a double created who would take his place inside the iron lung. He then proceeds to pull off one final act of revenge against his wife - he switches places with her in bed while she believes him dead and suffocates under the sheets, leaving behind no trace.

This episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents masterfully explores themes of mortality, anxiety, and the darker aspects of human nature through its unique use of a life-supporting iron lung as both plot device and symbol.

Alfred hitchcock presents no pain