The Body Is a Shell

Investment corporation investigator Paul Jackson specializes in exposing fraudulent mediums who prey on people eager to contact their deceased loved ones. After Paul uncovers the trickery of San Francisco medium Madame Zobina, he bumps into an old army pal, Knobby Garfield. Although Paul is anxious to return to Los Angeles, to which he, his wife Sue and their young daughter Dianne recently moved, Knobby convinces him to stay to meet artist Isiah Davis, a psychic who specializes in "spirit painting." Paul is dubious, but agrees to meet Isiah the next day. Paul is intrigued with Isiah's metaphysical paintings but refutes Isiah's assertion that a person's spirit lives on after death. After Knobby and Isiah discuss Isiah's upcoming exhibition in Paris, Knobby and Paul leave for Los Angeles. During their drive, Paul loses control of the car, which then careens down a ravine. Paul is drowned in a stream and his briefcase, containing all of the family's stocks and bonds, is thrown from the car. The case is found by a hobo, who opens it and, disgusted to find papers instead of money, throws the securities onto a rubbish heap. Unaware that he is dead, Paul, now a spirit, travels to his home in Los Angeles, where he is chagrined when Sue and Dianne do not respond to him. Paul then goes to his office and is there when his boss, Kramer, is notified that Paul has been killed. Paul becomes even more confused and upset when he stands in front of a mirror and cannot see his reflection. Finally accepting that he is dead, Paul goes to the mortuary where his body is being prepared for his funeral. Paul's "spirit guide," Edgar Evans, meets him there and explains that he has come to ease Paul's transition into the afterlife. Although Paul's first thoughts are of Sue and Dianne, Edgar urges him to wait before he visits them again because "blind grief" is difficult to take. Paul goes anyway and is present when their friends, Stanley and Laura Jaeger, inform Sue of her husband's death. Paul is heartbroken by Sue's pain, yet cheered by Stanley's gentle reassurances to Dianne that her father is in paradise. Now that he has proof of the existence of the immortal soul, Paul is chagrined that he spent his life trying to disprove it, especially as his disbelief had influenced Sue and is now causing her so much pain. When Sue contemplates suicide, Paul is able to waken Dianne and send her to Sue, who now realizes how much she has left to live for. Without the stocks and bonds, however, Sue is forced to find a job, and is barely able to eke out a living. Edgar takes Paul to see the "River of Life," the pure life energy that comes from God's love and flows over the earthly realm, after which Paul must begin evaluating his earthly life. The interviewer explains that each soul must examine the record of its earthly life in order to learn from its mistakes, before it can continue its journey. Despite Edgar's attempts to get Paul to focus on his progress in the spirit world, Paul is still obsessed with helping Sue secure her financial future by finding the missing papers. Stanley and Laura, who believe in the afterlife, try to persuade Sue that Paul is with her, while Dianne, who is able to visit Paul in her dreams, also tells Sue that Paul has not left them. Paul shows Dianne the rubbish pile where the papers are still safely hidden, but her attempt to relay the information to Sue fails. Laura then takes Sue to see Mrs. Handsen, a medium, and although Paul and Edgar are able to speak to her, she closes her mind before Paul can fully explain the location of the bonds. Discouraged, Sue cannot bring herself to accept that Paul is present, and Laura suggests that she visit representatives of various faiths. After conferring with a Protestant reverend, a Buddhist, a rabbi and a Catholic priest, Sue is somewhat reassured about the immortality of the soul. Paul, however, desperate to reach Sue, leaves Edgar and is approached by Tommy, a mischievous young boy who is an earthbound spirit. Tommy explains to Paul that he can operate a Ouija board, and one evening, when Laura brings a Ouija board to Sue's, the spirits are about to reveal the location of the bonds when they are stopped by an interfering spirit who breaks the connection. Paul continues to visit Dianne in her dreams, however, and Dianne tells Sue that she must free herself from worry so that Paul can visit her, too. Stanley and Laura then take Sue to a séance, but Paul and Tommy are blocked from reaching Sue by a nonbeliever in the group. Finally realizing that he should consult Edgar, Paul calls to him, and Edgar explains that his fumbling attempts to contact Sue have made her even more suspicious of psychic phenomena. Edgar suggests that Paul travel to Paris to find Isiah, and in Paris, Isiah is delighted to be contacted by Paul. Despite several interruptions, Isiah is able to obtain the crucial information from Paul and pass it along to Knobby, who was only wounded in the accident. Upon his release from the hospital, Knobby visits Sue and explains Paul's contact with Isiah. Although Sue is skeptical, Knobby takes her and Dianne to the site of the accident, and after a search of the area, they find the missing papers. Finally accepting the eternal nature of the soul and Paul's continued existence, Sue is able to relax enough that night for Paul to visit her in a dream. Sue and Paul walk hand-in-hand to the River of Life, and in the morning, Dianne and Sue embrace and share the news that Paul visited them both. Ready to ascend fully into the spirit world, Paul leaves with Edgar, and they happily invite Tommy to join them.