Disgruntled Phoenix officeworker Marion Crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. She only gets to meet her lover Sam during lunch breaks and they cannot get married because of Sam's alimony high payments. One Friday, Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and run, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam's California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet young man called Norman who seems to be dominated by his mother.