Written by Martin and George Gipe the film is a broad comedy. Martin plays Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, a pioneering neurosurgeon with a cruel and unfaithful new wife, Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner).
Hfuhruhurr saves the life of Benedict, who was injured in a car accident. As she recovers Hfuhruhurr falls in love with her and they marry. She is only interested in his wealth. On a trip/honeymoon to a medical conference in Vienna, a city living in fear of the serial "Elevator Killer", Hfuhruhurr leaves his wife and meets Dr. Alfred Necessiter (David Warner) who has created a radical new technique, storing living brains in liquid-filled jars. Hfuhruhurr falls in love with one of the brains, which communicates with him telepathically (voiced by Sissy Spacek).