The book begins on a Monday morning in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, where the narrator, Chief Bromden, who is a tall, half-Native American man with paranoid schizophrenia, describes his surroundings. He encounters three hospital aides whom he refers to as "black boys," noting their negative attitudes. The head nurse, Nurse Ratched, enters and scolds the aides for not working. Bromden imagines her as a huge, mechanical figure called "The Combine," representing the system that enforces conformity.
Nurse Ratched instructs the aides to shave Bromden, but he hides in a closet, recalling hunting memories with his father. When he comes out, the aides capture him, and he resists their attempts to shave him. In the process, he hallucinates a thickening fog controlled by the staff and machines. Nurse Ratched forcibly medicates him. Bromden, now conscious, finds himself in the day room with other patients categorized as acute or chronic. Two patients, Ellis and Ruckly, were initially hopeful for recovery but ended up with chronic symptoms due to electroshock therapy and a failed lobotomy, respectively.
Ten years ago, during World War II, Bromden was admitted to the psychiatric ward, where he has become the longest-standing patient. He describes the daily routine in the ward, with orderly morning routines and strict schedules. After breakfast, the nurses give the patients their medications, and the rest of the morning is spent playing games or doing puzzles. The patients are encouraged to report any noteworthy words or behavior of their peers in a logbook, which is discussed during group meetings in the afternoon. Occasionally, a public relations man visits the ward, but he never really pays attention to the patients' faces.
On this particular morning, a new patient named Randle Patrick McMurphy is brought in. McMurphy is a large, redheaded man who was
transferred from a work farm after attacking another man and pleading insanity. He arrives with a confident and boisterous demeanor, introducing himself to everyone and shaking hands. When he asks who the leader of the patients is, he is directed to Dale Harding, an educated man who doesn't fit traditional masculinity stereotypes. McMurphy and Harding initially clash verbally, but they eventually shake hands and make peace. McMurphy continues to greet the other patients, including Bromden. Billy, a young man with a stutter, tells McMurphy that Bromden is deaf and mute, but McMurphy seems unconvinced and extends his hand for a shake. Nurse Ratched appears andscolds McMurphy for not following the admission procedures, emphasizing the importance of everyone following the rules.
At the medical station, separated from the day room by a large glass window, Nurse Ratched warns another nurse about McMurphy, describing him as a manipulative individual who will exploit anyone and anything for his own benefit. She shares a story about a previous patient named Maxwell Taber, who caused trouble until he underwent electroshock therapy, which ultimately made him submissive enough to be discharged. Bromden portrays Nurse Ratched as an observant and controlling figure, comparing her to a robotic presence entangled in a network of wires. He believes that she has gained almost complete control over the ward by strategically choosing staff members who align with her objectives. This includes a complacent doctor and aides who possess enough animosity to carry out her orders.
Once again, Bromden witnesses the presence of the fog, but it dissipates before the scheduled group meeting, leaving him curious about what McMurphy will do. Ratched, along with Dr. Spivey, the ward's doctor, and the patients, arrange their chairs in a circle. Ratched initiates the meeting by reviewing her notes on Harding's insecurities regarding his marriage, which was the topic of discussion in the previous meeting. Harding is attracted to other men but suppresses his true feelings in order to project a stereotypically masculine image to his wife and others.
When McMurphy makes a crude comment about Harding's wife, Ratched reads aloud from McMurphy's record, highlighting his military service commendation, subsequent discharge from the military due to insubordination, a series of arrests related to gambling and violence, and an additional arrest for statutory rape. Dr. Spivey inquires about McMurphy's history of mental health, to which McMurphy sarcastically
declares himself deserving of recognition as a psychopath due to his violent actions and insatiable sexual desires. He jokingly asks the doctor if it is a serious matter, causing laughter among the other patients and Spivey.
Frustrated by McMurphy's disruption, Ratched invites Dr. Spivey to explain the concept of the "Therapeutic Community," which their group meetings aim to exemplify. McMurphy silently observes the rest of the meeting, including the ongoing discussion about Harding's marital struggles.
Bromden, having heard Spivey explain the theory multiple times, summarizes it for the readers. The ward is designed to mirror the larger society, and its purpose is to assist patients in learning how to function in a regular community by openly discussingtheir concerns and mistakes in a democratic manner. Bromden recalls a particular meeting during which a patient named Pete Bancini, who suffered brain damage at birth, interrupted the stream of confessions by passionately expressing his exhaustion. An attendant tried to remove Pete from the room, but Pete knocked him out. In a rare moment of clarity, Pete declared that he was essentially "born dead" and asserted that the other patients had it much easier.
Once the meeting concludes, the patients disperse, feeling ashamed of how they had treated Harding. McMurphy approaches Harding and likens the meeting to a violent "peckin' party" among chickens, where Ratched leads the emasculating attack. Agitated, Harding initially defends Ratched and her methods but later concedes that McMurphy is right. Responding to McMurphy's suggestion that the patients should resist Ratched, Harding explains the various punishments she employs to deal with troublesome patients, including shock therapy. He further argues that society increasingly undermines a man's most powerful weapon against the overwhelming influence of modern matriarchy: his sexual prowess. Swerving from his initial plan to directly confront Ratched, McMurphy wagers that he can utilize Ratched's subtle tactics against her in order to expose her vulnerabilities within a week. Several patients contribute money to the bet.
Bromden recounts a memory of a man who looked like Santa Claus entering the ward during Christmas. Later, the same man was released from the ward after six years looking completely different. Bromden believes that Nurse Ratched controls the passage of time in the ward,
speeding up enjoyable moments and prolonging tedious ones. However, he notices that there has been no time manipulation or fog production since McMurphy arrived that morning. When Ratched finishes her shift and goes home, Bromden observes that everything slows down.
The patients spend the rest of the evening in the day room, with McMurphy running a gambling table. McMurphy complains about the repetitive tape playing in the background, mistakenly thinking it's the radio. The patients are so used to the tape that they hardly notice it anymore. McMurphy considers complaining to the nurses but remembers his commitment to avoid conflict during the bet.
As the evening progresses, McMurphy wins a large stash of cigarette packs, which they use as gambling chips. However, just before bedtime, he lets the other players win their cigarettes back. As the patients prepare to go to bed, they receive their medications from the nurse on duty, whoBromden refers to as the "birthmarked nurse" due to a prominent birthmark on her neck. The nurse is warned about McMurphy and becomes flustered when he approaches her, causing her to drop a pitcher on her foot. McMurphy tries to help her by picking up the pitcher, but she misunderstands his intentions and mistakenly claims to be Catholic. Embarrassed by her mistake, she closes the window, leaving Bromden and others in line without their medication for the night.
McMurphy decides to sleep in the bed next to Bromden's. Before they go to sleep, he playfully teases Bromden about his reaction to an approaching aide, jokingly saying that he thought someone told him Bromden was deaf.
That night, Bromden has a vivid dream or hallucination due to not taking his medication. In his dream, he sees the dorm sinking deep into the earth and observes men working on machines as far as he can see. Some of the men remove a chronic patient named Blastic, treating him as if he were a lifeless carcass. As they open Blastic up, instead of finding organs, they find "rust and ashes." The public relations man from earlier appears, wearing a girdle and leading a tour through the factory. In the morning, the aides carry out Blastic's lifeless body, as he died during the night.
The patients wake up to the surprising sound of McMurphy singing in the shower. As Bromden enters the hallway, he sees McMurphy, with a cap and towel, asking an aide who is cleaning the baseboards for toothpaste. Following the ward's policy, the aide refuses to give
toothpaste before 6:45 AM. McMurphy mocks the policy and uses some of the aide's soap instead of toothpaste. McMurphy's behavior reminds Bromden of how his father interacted with the white men who came to negotiate the purchase of tribal lands.
When Nurse Ratched arrives, the aide immediately informs her about McMurphy's defiance. McMurphy reappears in the hallway, still in his towel. Ratched is furious and tells him to get dressed, but he informs her that his prison clothes were taken during the night. She claims that he was given a uniform, but one of the aides admits that they forgot to provide him with one. The aide retrieves some clothes and offers them to McMurphy, who playfully removes his towel to reveal gaudy underpants and drapes the towel over Ratched's shoulder. Furious but composed, Ratched faces the otherresidents as they emerge from the dorm.
Confident in his ability to expose Nurse Ratched's weaknesses, McMurphy enjoys a satisfying breakfast and engages in playful banter with both the staff and patients. Although he loses a bet involving butter and the clock, he successfully wagers on how long it will take for the butter to slide down the wall.
Later in the day room, McMurphy resumes his gambling activities. However, he becomes frustrated with the noise level and politely requests Ratched to lower the volume of the music. Ratched declines, explaining that some of the chronically ill patients rely on the music for stimulation. McMurphy then suggests relocating the card games to an unused adjacent room during the daytime, but Ratched informs him that there is insufficient staff to oversee both areas. Despite feeling defeated, McMurphy manages to keep his anger in check.
At eleven o'clock, Spivey conducts an interview with McMurphy, a routine process for all new admissions. Upon their return, they engage in conversation as if they were long-time friends. During the group meeting that afternoon, Spivey proposes the idea of organizing a carnival on the ward, a concept that he and McMurphy had discussed during their interview. Charles Cheswick, a patient who fluctuates between speaking up and hesitating, musters the courage to express his support for the idea. However, Ratched dismisses it, suggesting that she will address it during an upcoming staff meeting with the intention of shutting it down.
Spivey then shares another idea that emerged from his interview with McMurphy: utilizing an available extra room as a separate game room.
Guided by McMurphy's influence, Spivey provides a satisfactory response to Ratched's objection about staff availability. Just as Ratched is about to resume the discussion regarding Harding's marital situation, McMurphy interrupts, feigning a question about a dream he had, and proceeds to dominate the remainder of the meeting.
In the following three days, McMurphy and several others engage in an extended game of Monopoly, exchanging small change for the game's counterfeit money. Despite McMurphy's success, Bromden, an observer, gradually loses faith and becomes convinced that Ratched will eventually defeat him, bringing an end to his winning streak. As the air becomes thick with fog, Bromden's optimism evaporates.
McMurphy continues to maintain courtesy towards the staff and brushes off any irritating situations. However, there is one instance where he loses his composure. During a group meeting, he requests a change in theschedule so that the patients can watch a baseball World Series game. Nurse Ratched expresses her disapproval, but McMurphy insists on a vote. Unfortunately, none of the other patients, except Cheswick, show their support due to fear of going against Ratched. This leaves McMurphy feeling frustrated and let down.
In the following days, McMurphy becomes less generous and instead engages in gambling, winning against anyone willing to take part. On the day before the baseball game, he considers breaking out of the hospital to watch it elsewhere. The rest of the patients express doubt that he could escape through the windows, which are secured with wire mesh. McMurphy proposes throwing a large control panel from an old therapy room out the window. He even bets the others that he can lift the panel, despite its obvious size limitations. However, he fails to move it despite his efforts. He then returns the money he had won over the previous days and tells the others that at least he made an attempt.
While sweeping, Bromden experiences a hallucination in which he imagines himself entering a picture on the wall. In the picture, he sees a man fly fishing in the mountains. He reflects on the superficial improvements in life within the hospital. Later on, Bromden learns that a disruptive patient known as Rawler the Squawler, who had been transferred to the "Disturbed" ward upstairs, ended up cutting off his testicles and bleeding to death.
As the mist thickens, Bromden reflects on why he and the other patients hesitate to follow McMurphy, finding comfort in the haze.
Bromden's first encounter with fog was during his time as a soldier in World War II, where it served as a shield against enemy fire. In the hospital, when Bromden first encountered the fog, he attempted to navigate through it, but found himself repeatedly drawn back to the "Shock Shop" where electroshock therapy takes place. Now, he prefers to stay still within the fog.
During the group meeting on Friday, the patients discuss Billy's background. Born with a stutter, Billy reveals that he failed college after leaving the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He fell in love with a girl and proposed marriage to her, but when he got stuck on the word "marry," she laughed. As the meeting progresses, Bromden experiences hallucinations of floating through the mist, passing by Colonel Matterson(a chronic patient who often delivers nonsensical lectures), Pete, andBilly. Bromden feels powerless to help them. At times, Bromden retreats into his memories, but he resurfaces when McMurphy calls for another vote to change the schedule so they can watch the World Series. Despite the acute patients voting in favor of the change, Ratched declares the vote a failure since the chronic patients did not participate. Desperate for one more vote, McMurphy appeals to each chronic patient, eventually reaching Bromden, who raises his hand. Ratched is shocked by this and abruptly ends the meeting before Bromden's vote, retreating to the nurse's station.
Celebrating their supposed victory, McMurphy and the rest of the patients rush to finish their cleaning tasks in anticipation of the upcoming game. Finally, the moment arrives, and McMurphy switches on the television to start watching. However, in a sudden move, Ratched cuts off the power to the TV from the comfort of the nurse's station. Undeterred by this action, McMurphy remains seated, fixated on the blank screen. Ratched reminds him that she holds authority over him and demands that he return to work. McMurphy remains silent, and one by one, the other patients join him in front of the screen, united against Ratched's outburst.
Seated in front of the television, the patients cautiously steal glances at Ratched as she and the rest of the staff troop down the hallway for a scheduled meeting regarding McMurphy's status. Bromden is urged by
an aide to accompany them, as he typically cleans the staff room during these gatherings. Anxious that his recent voting participation may have revealed his ability to hear, Bromden fears arousing suspicion. As he cleans, Bromden's mind conjures up vivid hallucinations of a noxious green slime, a product of the staff meeting.
The meeting begins with Spivey taking charge, ready to defer to Ratched's authority. However, Ratched remains silent, prompting Spivey to invite the staff to share their thoughts on McMurphy's behavior. Eager to win Ratched's approval, one intern questions McMurphy's sanity, while another labels him a dangerous psychopath. As the staff begins to agree on sending McMurphy to the Disturbed ward, diagnosing him with a negative Oedipal complex, Ratched interjects. Contradicting her colleagues, she suggests that McMurphy is not an extraordinary case and sending him away would only elevate him to a "martyr" in the eyes of the other patients. Instead, she plans to keep him within the ward and publicly expose him as an arrogant andboastful individual.
With his successful bet, McMurphy continues to provoke and antagonize both Ratched and the staff throughout the following week. Witnessing McMurphy's seeming immunity to Ratched's tactics, Bromden contemplates how external influences have long shaped his own identity, even prior to his admission to the hospital.
In the following days, Bromden experiences a newfound clarity, as if a fog has lifted from his perception. One night, he awakens and gazes out of his hospital window, taking in the sights with fresh eyes. He observes a dog joyfully rolling around and a flock of geese gracefully passing by the moon. After a short while, the birthmarked nurse and an aide guide Bromden back to his bed.
Under McMurphy's influence, the group therapy sessions transform into occasions for the patients to voice their grievances about the hospital's policies. McMurphy finds it perplexing that Nurse Ratched does not directly retaliate against him.
On the following Wednesday, as is customary, the patients gather for their weekly swimming outing. Overhearing a conversation between McMurphy and the lifeguard, Bromden learns that McMurphy actually prefers life in the hospital over life in prison. The lifeguard, who has been institutionalized for eight years, explains that prisoners have a set release date, while those committed to a psychiatric hospital remain inside until the staff decides to release them.
Realizing that Nurse Ratched holds the power to determine his release from the hospital, McMurphy begins to adhere to the rules and diligently completes assigned tasks. During the subsequent group meeting, when Cheswick expresses a complaint, McMurphy chooses to remain silent instead of supporting him. This leads to Cheswick's temporary transfer to the disturbed ward. Upon his return, Cheswick apologizes to McMurphy. Tragically, on the same day, during another pool outing, Cheswick tragically drowns himself.
One day, a patient named Sefelt, who suffers from epilepsy, has a seizure while waiting in line for lunch. A nurse, Nurse Ratched, is called over by an aide, who notes that Sefelt didn't take his medication that could have prevented the seizure. However, Ratched knows that Sefelt gives his medication to another epileptic patient named Fredrickson, who dislikes the side effects of the medicine. Fredrickson then takes a double dose to try and avoid having a seizure. McMurphy asks why Sefelt doesn't take the medicine, and Fredrickson explains the negative side effects, including gum problems. Fredrickson summarizes the situation by saying, "Damned if you do and damned if you don't."
Onanother day, Bromden goes with the more acutely ill patients on a trip to the library, which he finds confusing. While they are there, Harding's wife unexpectedly visits him and is introduced to McMurphy. As Harding talks about McMurphy's adventures, he fidgets with his hands but hides them out of embarrassment. When she asks Harding for a cigarette and he fails to provide one, she criticizes him, saying, "You never do have enough, do you?" Harding wonders if she is speaking figuratively. She also complains about the visits from Harding's friends, describing them as having "limp little wrists that flip so nice." Throughout her visit, there is no display of affection between Harding and his wife, and Harding corrects her grammar. After she leaves, Harding asks McMurphy for his opinion of her, to which McMurphy compliments her physical appearance. When Harding presses for a more serious answer, McMurphy becomes angrily frustrated with the patients constantly bothering him with their concerns. Later that evening, McMurphy apologizes to Harding and mentions having bad dreams filled with countless faces.
Later on, in the recreation room, a patient named Martini takes on the role of a fighter pilot, using the control panel originally meant for hydrotherapy. He entertains the other patients, who are playing cards
nearby. Martini interrupts his performance to ask McMurphy if he saw the planes, but McMurphy insists that he didn't see anything.
After three weeks, the patients gather for routine X-rays in a nearby building. While waiting in line, Harding discusses electroshock therapy and lobotomy, which take place in adjacent rooms. McMurphy expresses his confusion about the hospital's operations, and they debate the extent of blame that should be placed on Nurse Ratched. Some believe she is primarily responsible, but McMurphy senses that there are bigger forces at play. McMurphy accuses the others of using him to resist Ratched, even knowing that it could prolong his stay in the hospital. Harding reveals that most of the acutely ill patients are not committed to staying in the hospital but choose to remain out of fear of the outside world.
Bromden notices that McMurphy is now showing renewed vigor in his resistance against Nurse Ratched. In the next group meeting, Ratched announces that the patients will lose their privilege of using the separate game room as punishment for their past behavior. As the meeting ends, McMurphy casually goes to the nurse's station and breaks theglass to retrieve one of his cigarettes. He apologizes to Ratched, claiming that he didn't see the window because it was so clean.
Despite Ratched's belief that she can eventually break McMurphy, he continues to defy her authority. He engages in acts of rebellion, like leaving crude notes in the bathroom and flirting with female staff members, encouraging other patients to follow suit. When Ratched reprimands him, McMurphy even asks about her bra size. He requests an unaccompanied leave, which is denied, and then calls a hearing during a group meeting to request accompanied leave, which is also rejected. At the end of the meeting, McMurphy puts his hand through the newly replaced window glass, pretending he didn't see it.
With the support of Spivey, McMurphy forms a basketball team on the ward and plays against a team of staff members. One of the aides from the ward gets injured during the game and almost attacks McMurphy. After the window glass is replaced once again, one of the patients accidentally bounces the basketball through the window, prompting Ratched to get rid of the basketball altogether.
McMurphy then sets his sights on organizing a fishing trip. With Spivey's approval, he gets a pass to take some patients on a fishing excursion in the open sea, accompanied by "two sweet old aunts." However, Ratched tries to discourage patients from signing up by posting newspaper clippings about the dangers of the ocean. A day before the trip, McMurphy still needs more participants and funding. Bromden, who is hesitant to join due to fears of raising suspicions about his deafness, expresses a desire to sign up.
Bromden remembers how he began acting deaf and silent when those around him ignored him. He recalls a visit from government appraisers to his village during his childhood. The appraisers made derogatory comments, but when Bromden responded angrily, they didn't acknowledge him. He eavesdropped on their conversation and learned they intended to offer to buy the village from his mother, who was white, rather than his father, the tribe's chief. This incident led his father to take his mother's last name, Bromden, when they got married.
One night, Bromden wakes up to hear an aide removing the chewing gum that Bromden had collected and hidden underneath his bed over the years. When McMurphy asks the aide what he's doing, the aide reveals his curiosity about how Bromden got the gum without anymoney. McMurphy finds amusement in this and teases Bromden. Initially, Bromden feels offended, but eventually, he sees the humor in the situation and attempts to stifle his laughter. As McMurphy hands him a fresh pack of gum, Bromden thanks him out loud.
McMurphy shares his own childhood experience of being ignored while working on a farm as the only child. He recounts a time when he exposed the mean things the adult workers said about each other, causing an uproar. He asks Bromden if he plans to speak up in a similar manner. Bromden admits his weakness and explains the influence his parents had on him, noting how his mother pushed his father until he became "too little to fight." Bromden concludes that the oppressive system, known as the Combine, surpasses everyone. After a moment, McMurphy invites Bromden to join the fishing trip. Bromden mentions his financial constraint, and McMurphy devises a plan to cover Bromden's expenses through a bet, promising to help Bromden regain his strength along the way.
The following morning, Bromden breaks from his usual routine and refuses the aides' request to sweep. The group is still missing one person
for their fishing expedition. George Sorenson, a shy man with a fear of germs, approaches McMurphy and offers fishing advice. McMurphy learns that George used to be a fisherman and convinces him to join their trip by hinting that staying behind would mean Ratched had won.
Instead of the two older aunts listed in McMurphy's initial request, Candy Starr, a young sex worker, joins the group as the only woman. Ratched threatens to cancel the trip due to insufficient drivers, and she points out that McMurphy collected more money than necessary from the patients. McMurphy encourages Candy to use her charm to persuade Dr. Spivey to accompany them as an additional driver, which she successfully does.
They begin their journey and stop for gas one mile away from the hospital. Spivey lies to the gas station attendants, claiming that the group is a work crew. Hearing this, the patients feel embarrassed. However, when the attendants try to overcharge Spivey, McMurphy intervenes. He scares the attendants with false stories about the patients' violent tendencies, showcasing his worn hands as proof. McMurphy takes back the money from Spivey, instructs the attendants to bill the hospital for the gas, and uses the funds to purchase beer instead. Inspired by McMurphy's actions, the patients tryto exude bravery and confidence for the rest of the journey, although they still struggle to fully enjoy themselves. While passing through town, Bromden notices signs of progress in the Combine's mission to establish a uniform and orderly way of life.
Upon reaching the docks, the ship's captain insists on signed waivers before allowing them to board, which they don't possess. McMurphy brings the captain inside, claiming to make a phone call. As the patients wait outside, a group of men leers at Candy, but their lack of confidence prevents them from standing up to them. Soon after, McMurphy returns alone and urges everyone to board. They set sail just as the captain realizes that McMurphy gave him the wrong number.
Once aboard, McMurphy assigns roles to each member of the crew and goes below deck with Candy for intimate relations. As the boat heads towards the open sea, George instructs the men on how to prepare their fishing rods. They take turns casting their lines, and after some time, the fish start biting. Prizes are awarded for the first catch and the largest fish.
When it's Bromden's turn with a fishing pole, George steers the boat
towards a spot where silver salmon gather around a floating log. Chaos ensues as multiple lines get fish on the hook. Bromden manages to reel in a salmon larger than any he ever caught before. Appearing on deck again, McMurphy and Candy participate, with Candy taking over Bromden's pole. In her attempt to control the reel, she accidentally exposes herself as she isn't wearing anything underneath her jacket. Billy rushes to help her by slowing down the reel with his hands, squeezing it between her breasts. Meanwhile, Spivey's glasses get caught on one of the lines and trail behind the boat. Distracted by the commotion, George accidentally crashes the boat into the log.
McMurphy's laughter resonates with Bromden, signifying not just a response to their current situation but also a rebellion against the hospital, Nurse Ratched, and society as a whole. The rest of the boat's passengers gradually join in, creating an atmosphere of amusement. They spend a leisurely afternoon engaged in activities such as cleaning fish, feeding birds, and enjoying drinks. Spivey struggles to reel in a massive flounder, requiring the collective efforts of everyone on board to finally bring it onto the boat.
As they make their way back to shore, a storm looms in thedistance, posing a threat. McMurphy takes delight in seeing the other patients bravely volunteering to forgo life jackets, as the supply is limited. Guided by George, the ship safely returns to the dock, where they encounter the captain waiting accompanied by two police officers. Spivey manages to persuade the officers to leave, but McMurphy, inebriated, gets into a confrontation with the captain, which unexpectedly ends with them sharing a beer. The men who previously demeaned Candy at the dock now admire their impressive catch.
At McMurphy's request, they drive through the small town where he grew up on their way back. He points out his old, rundown house, and a fluttering object in a tree triggers memories of the first girl he slept with, symbolized by a dress. He attributes his promiscuous lifestyle to her influence, referring to himself as a "dedicated lover." Despite McMurphy continuing to entertain with his stories, Bromden notices his worn-out and desperate expression, as if time is running out for something he needs to do.
Candy falls asleep with her head resting on Billy's shoulder. She wakes up as they reach the hospital. When Billy expresses his desire to ask her out on a date, McMurphy arranges for her to return at two o'clock on
Saturday morning, giving them a chance to spend time together.
Nurse Ratched devises a new strategy to undermine McMurphy's reputation. Initially, she publishes a report disclosing the financial transactions of each patient, highlighting that while everyone else's funds have decreased, McMurphy's holdings have increased. Later, during a group meeting that McMurphy is allowed to miss for a phone call, she creates an opportunity for the men to discuss McMurphy without his overpowering presence. Initially, they discuss the positive things McMurphy has done for the ward. However, as time passes, they begin to question his true intentions. Nurse Ratched intervenes at one point, suggesting that McMurphy may be cunning and calculating, implying that he doesn't take risks without a purpose. She points to his earnings from gambling and the fishing trip as evidence of his self-centered motives, before swiftly changing the subject.
Later that day, several patients return to discussing McMurphy's motives. Harding defends him, claiming that McMurphy is an unapologetic con man who embraces capitalism. Billy highlights that not everything McMurphy did, such as teaching him to dance, had financial gain as a motive. However, Billy's opinion shifts that night when McMurphy askshim to send money to Candy ahead of her upcoming visit, including funds for her to purchase alcohol. Even Bromden feels betrayed when McMurphy manipulates him into winning a bet against the other patients, using his ability to move the control panel in the tub room, which he had witnessed Bromden do in private. When McMurphy offers Bromden a share of his winnings, Bromden declines. McMurphy is perplexed and asks why they are all upset, to which Bromden explains that they perceive McMurphy as someone who only cares about "winning things."
After their conversation, Bromden feels a sense of responsibility for the events that follow. Later in the day, Nurse Ratched instructs the patients who went on the fishing trip to take a specialized sanitizing shower. When it's George's turn, one of the aides purposely taunts him, aware of his fear of such substances. McMurphy comes to George's defense and ends up getting into a physical altercation with the aide. As another aide joins the fight, Bromden jumps in to support McMurphy, despite the
consequences.
As a result of the fight, both Bromden and McMurphy are transferred to the Disturbed ward. When they arrive, the other patients in the ward don't pay much attention to them. One patient even dismisses the whole situation, stating that he wants no part in it. McMurphy introduces himself as a gambler and recounts the details of the fight to the ward's nurse. Unlike Nurse Ratched, she tends to their wounds and treats them with kindness. She explains that the atmosphere in her ward is different, suggesting that Nurse Ratched's personal history as a single, middle-aged former army nurse influences how she runs her ward. That night, Bromden wakes up to the sound of a patient screaming at him. Bromden wonders how McMurphy is able to sleep, considering he likely has many thoughts and memories calling out to him.
The following day, the nurse offers Bromden and McMurphy sedative drugs, but both decline them. Bromden deduces that they are scheduled to undergo electroshock therapy. Nurse Ratched then gives McMurphy an opportunity to apologize for his actions, promising to cancel the treatment if he complies. However, he refuses. Shortly thereafter, Bromden and McMurphy are led to the main building. Bromden, who has experienced shock therapy in the past, begins to panic. The phrase "Air raid" echoes in his mind. He observes as McMurphy willingly takes his place at thetable shaped like a cross and asks the attendants if he will receive a "crown of thorns." As the electric shocks are administered, McMurphy stiffens. They wheel him out and turn to Bromden, who struggles as they restrain him. As he endures multiple shocks, memories from his childhood race through his mind, including a nursery rhyme that contains the line "One flew over the cuckoo's nest." When he regains consciousness in the seclusion room later, he discovers that he can shake off the mental fog in less than a day, a much faster recovery than before.
Ratched visits McMurphy after his session, but he remains unchanged in his attitude. As a result, she sends him back for three more sessions that week. McMurphy pretends to be unaffected, but Bromden notices a weariness in his expression. When Bromden is eventually released from the Disturbed ward, the other patients greet him as a hero and inquire about McMurphy. He shares stories about McMurphy's resilience and humor, even inventing some tales. Ratched realizes that without McMurphy's presence, the patients idolize him even more, so she returns
McMurphy to the ward.
Aware that Nurse Ratched will continue to persecute McMurphy, Bromden and a small group of patients come up with a plan for his escape from the ward. On the day of his return, they reveal their plan to him, but McMurphy reminds them of Billy's upcoming date with Candy that night. Instead of focusing on his own escape, McMurphy decides to throw a farewell party at the same time. During the group meeting later that day, Nurse Ratched suggests the possibility of adjusting McMurphy's treatment to include surgery, but he brushes it off with jokes.
In the evening, McMurphy requests a dose of vitamins, which he plans to give to Billy just before Candy's visit. Bromden explains that although Billy is in his thirties, he gives off the impression of being a child. Billy's mother, who is a close friend of Nurse Ratched, works as a receptionist in the hospital. Bromden once overheard Billy, who is still a virgin, expressing his plans to get married and go to college. In response, his mother told him that he still had plenty of time for those things and asked if she looked like the mother of a middle-aged man.
At midnight, Mr. Turkle begins his shift as the only aide on the ward. Following their previous arrangement, Turkle agreesto let Candy in through a window in exchange for a drink. While waiting for Candy to arrive, Turkle and McMurphy smoke marijuana and share stories. After a slight delay, Candy arrives with her intoxicated friend Sandy. The group awkwardly engages in conversation for a while. Suddenly, they hear a key turning in the lock down the hall. To avoid being caught, they quickly hide in the bathroom and listen as the nighttime supervisor enters and calls for Mr. Turkle. Turkle exits the bathroom to provide an explanation for having certain lights on and others off. When the supervisor appears unsure, Harding also leaves the bathroom and offers an alternative explanation. Slightly intimidated by Harding, the supervisor eventually leaves.
Turkle, the patients, and their visitors continue to party after escaping the bathroom. Turkle, who is drunk, allows them to enter the nurse's station and break into the drug cabinet, looking for cough syrup to mix with their alcohol. Some of the patients take the opportunity to review their own medical records. Upon looking at Billy's file, Candy remarks, "You don't look like you have all these things." McMurphy and Turkle laugh at the thought of having sexual encounters with Nurse Ratched, considering the obstacles her religious and medical background present.
They turn off the lights and a few patients play games with the wheelchairs in the hallway.
While Sandy goes to the bathroom, Sefelt stands guard at the door to prevent a chronic patient from leaving the dorm. Afterward, Sefelt and Sandy dance together. When Sefelt has a seizure, he calls for medication, and Sandy watches in amazement. Harding returns with pills, which he sprinkles over Sefelt and Sandy while giving a speech prophesying a negative outcome in the morning.
Around four o'clock, Billy and Candy go to the seclusion room to engage in sexual activity. Some patients decide to go to bed, while the others return to the day room, intending to clean up. However, their intoxicated state prevents them from thinking clearly. Harding suggests that McMurphy escape the hospital with Sandy and Candy, leaving the blame on him for the mess they made. McMurphy agrees and invites Harding and Bromden to join him. However, they decline, opting to stay and look after the other patients and plan their own escapes. McMurphy, trying to understand the hospital's situation, asks Harding why it exists in such a way. Harding explains that his shamefor being gay pushed him to the edge, but also points out that the other patients, including McMurphy, contribute to the madness they experience.
McMurphy's plan is to rest for an hour before leaving, but he ends up oversleeping. When the aides discover him in bed with Sandy the next morning, Ratched gathers all the patients in the day room. The staff uncovers evidence of the previous night's activities, and Turkle is fired.
Sandy and Turkle manage to slip away, but McMurphy is too hungover to move and remains behind. One of the aides realizes that Billy is missing, and Ratched leads a search of the ward door by door. They eventually find Billy in the seclusion room with Candy, where he introduces her without a stutter. Ratched expresses her disappointment, but Billy becomes distraught when she mentions his mother, causing his stutter to return. He begs Ratched not to tell his mother what happened, and she leads him away.
Spivey, the doctor, arrives and Ratched asks him to visit Billy. When Spivey enters his office, he discovers that Billy has cut his throat. Ratched immediately blames McMurphy for the deaths of Cheswick and Billy. After she returns to the nurse's station, McMurphy rises and breaks the glass door. He then rips open Ratched's uniform, exposing her breasts, and begins to strangle her. As the medical staff pry him away,
McMurphy lets out a desperate cry.
In the following days, several patients leave the hospital against doctor's recommendations or transfer to other wards. When Ratched returns a week later, she has bruises and bandages. Harding asks her what happened to McMurphy, but she is unable to speak and instead writes a note saying that he will return. Despite McMurphy's lasting influence, Ratched struggles to restore order in the ward. Harding eventually checks out, and only three patients who went on the fishing trip remain, including Bromden.
Three weeks after McMurphy's violent encounter with Ratched, he is brought into the ward on a stretcher and placed among the chronically ill patients. McMurphy's expression is blank, and his medical record shows that he has undergone a lobotomy. Realizing that Ratched intends to use McMurphy as a deterrent against disobedience, Bromden decides to take action in what he believes McMurphy would want. That night, Bromden suffocates McMurphy in his bed. Scanlon, one of the few remaining patients from the fishing trip, advises Bromden to escape before Ratched canseek revenge. Bromden ponders his escape plan and recalls McMurphy's idea that the control panel could be used to break the wire mesh. Bromden lifts the panel, throws it through the window, and runs away in the same direction as the dog he saw weeks earlier. He manages to hitch a ride and makes arrangements to visit the Columbia River gorge on his journey to Canada.