A psychosomatically blind, deaf, and mute boy becomes a master pinball player and, subsequently, the figurehead of a cult.
Nora Walker is told that her British bomber pilot husband is missing in action and presumed killed in World War II. On V.E. Day, Nora gives birth to their son and names him Tommy. When Tommy is an adolescent, Nora marries shifty camp-counselor Frank; shortly thereafter, Tommy suffers an emotionally traumatic experience associated with his father and stepfather which, based on things told to him at that time, results in him becoming deaf, mute, and blind, and several people exploit this situation for their own pleasure. As Nora tries several things to bring Tommy out of his psychosomatic disabilities, he, now a young man, discovers pinball. Playing by intuition he becomes a pinball master, which makes him--and Nora and Frank by association--rich and famous. Nora literally shatters Tommy to his awakening, which ultimately leads to both the family's rise and downfall as people initially try to emulate Tommy's path then rebel against it.—Huggo
Tommy is blind, deaf and mute, but nothing's wrong with him; as a small child he accidentally witnessed the murder of his father--by his stepfather. His mother and stepfather told him to forget everything he'd seen and heard and never talk about it; he carried this to the extreme, turned inward, and stopped seeing, hearing, or speaking at all. He suffered much while growing up, and finally found happiness in, of all things, playing pinball. When he becomes the world champion pinball player, he brings his family fame and fortune. After being spontaneously healed, he begins to teach others his unique perspective on life, eventually becoming a religious cult figure.—zBirdman
Cpt. Walker's plane is shot down during World War II and he is presumed dead. Nora Walker meets Frank Hobbs while her son Tommy is attending "Bernie's Holiday Camp" and they quickly marry--but Captain Walker is on his way home. Tommy follows his silhouette and sees his murder through a mirror that captures his and his father's souls. Nora and Frank tell Tommy that he didn't see it or hear it, and he must never speak of it. This causes him to go blind, deaf, and mute. They try a few cures, such as a preacher who believes Marilyn Monroe can heal, and a woman called "The Acid Queen." They then give up and leave Tommy with relatives: first Cousin Kevin rapes him, then Uncle Ernie rapes him. They finally decide to leave him by the mirror, which he curiously stares into all day long. He sees himself beckoning to him, and he follows--straight to a junkyard where he finds the device that will transform his life: a pinball machine. He becomes the world's greatest player, which makes his family rich. They go to a doctor who tells them they need to find some kind of shock to bring Tommy back into their world. The shock comes in the breaking of the mirror, which frees his soul. He believes that he is the new Messiah, and a religious cult forms around him.—Haruka Sawaguchi ([email protected])
Captain Walker is lost in World War II and presumed dead; soon thereafter his wife Nora gives birth to their son Tommy. When he's about 10 years old, Nora marries scheming holiday-camp worker Frank Hobbs. When Nora and Frank are about the consummate their relationship, Captain Walker stops them and in the heat of passion, Frank kills Captain Walker--all of which Tommy sees; immediately he goes blind, deaf, and mute. As Nora and Frank search for a way to give Tommy back his senses (they try drugs, cultism, and medicine), Tommy searches for dreams of his lost father.—Sam Barwick <[email protected]>
