Originally made for television and then released theatrically, this 2 1/2-hour engrossing drama handles the subject of a group of mentally disturbed patients turned out of institutions that have been closed by the government, and left to fend for themselves in a large apartment building. The heroine Carlotta (Carlotta Wittig) is the woman who volunteers to work with them, partly out of a desire to escape her stultifying existence with an ambitious, career-oriented husband and to forget her problems at work. From that point onward, Carlotta's handling of her charges opens up her eyes and humanity. At the same time, the ex-patients in the building come to grips with a reality they can only partly capture.