Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe is shot in his home by Vincent, a deranged former patient. Sometime later, Malcolm has recuperated from the gunshot wounds but has become estranged from his wife, Anna, who resents his workaholism. He begins treating a new patient, nine-year-old Cole Sear, who claims to see the ghosts of dead people and reminds Malcolm of Vincent. While Malcolm initially believes the ghosts are hallucinations, he is eventually convinced of Cole’s ability to communicate with the dead. He encourages the boy to help the spirits with their problems. One night, Cole sees the ghost of a vomiting girl. When they discover her identity, Malcolm takes Cole to the girl’s funeral. With the aid of the girl’s ghost, Cole locates a home video and delivers it to the girl’s father. The video reveals that her mother poisoned her. With this knowledge, the father can save his younger daughter. Satisfied with his power to help ghosts and the living, Cole becomes better adjusted, and wins the lead role in a school play. As he finishes his work with Malcolm, he encourages the psychologist to talk to his wife, Anna, while she sleeps. The boy finally tells his mother, Lynn, about his interaction with ghosts. He offers proof by describing a memory of Lynn as a child, which the ghost of his grandmother once shared with him. Elsewhere, Malcolm returns home to Anna and finds her sleeping, with their wedding video playing in the background. Anna speaks in her sleep, asking why Malcolm had to leave. He sees her drop his wedding ring, then recalls being shot. Malcolm realizes his gunshot wound has not gone away, and that he is, in fact, dead. Malcolm’s ghost speaks to the sleeping Anna, promising that she was his first priority and that he loves her. This releases his spirit from the world of the living, and he vanishes.