A schoolgirl breathes hard, clutching her chest. Some passers-by laugh at the girl, who ignores them.

Why should you do that…is something you should figure out for yourself.

A man and a woman make out in the alleyway, with the woman repeatedly denying him with a giggle. The girl, however, is smiling, holding her glasses to the sky while the wind runs through her hair. Her mouth speaks without words.

I…don’t need to stay in a place like this.

With that, she lets go of the rail of a rooftop, crashing to the ground. The noise and sight stuns the man and woman, as others are both terrified and confused at what to do.
Outside of a suburban home on a clear morning, wires buzz with electricity and conversations. The shadows are spotted with premonitions, faded red splotches, blood. The only sound is from the opening door and a girl waddling outside. Here, we meet Lain for the very first time, a quiet junior-high student.

If you stay in a play like this…you might not be able to connect.

On the train, the conversations continue, despite the people being silent on it. Lain hears them and the oscillations from the wires outside. She complains of the noise and demands silence in annoyance, while she momentarily confuses the people around her.
As she enters the schoolyard, Lain watches her shadow, which appears ghostly to her. The people and school grounds become a bright blur to her, and she squints at the sights.

Everybody, hurry…

As Lain reaches the classroom, she hears crying from the students. Juri is draped over a desk in tears, while Arisu and Reika are consoling her. They approach Lain and ask if she had checked her e-mail. Lain states she’s not that familiar with computers and receives criticism from Reika. When she asks, Lain finds out that people have been getting prank e-mail from someone who claimed to be Chisa Yomoda, a girl that killed herself the week before...
During class, Lain finds herself unable to concentrate, the board starting to become fuzzy. She looks at her hand, which begins to exhale smoke that is unseen by the other students.

What is it like when you die? It really hurts! :)

Lain leaves school, only to arrive at an empty home. Out of curiosity, she investigates the red Navi in her room and finds that she has e-mail from Chisa Yomoda, too...
In the e-mail, Chisa recalls walking home with Lain sometimes. She mentions that the e-mail is not a prank and that she is still alive, but without the constraints of her body. Chisa gives only one reason she is now where she is now. "Here, there is a God," she states.
Later that night, Lain dines with her sister and mother. While Lain seems uninterested in her food, Mika leaves, saying she’s not hungry, while her mother remains emotionless. Lain approaches her father, who is currently logging into his systems, operating with seven monitors. Her father suggests she broaden her horizons and talks of the real world and of the Wired. Lain asks her father if he could get her a new computer, as there is a friend she would like to see. He laughs, looking strangly enough like Ikari Gendo in Neon Genesis Evangelion
As Lain waits on the train to school the next day, the ride is suddenly brought to a lurching halt. Lain recovers and watches the electrical lines, noticing that something is dripping from them. Caught in a series of ghostly images, Lain finds herself suddenly next to train tracks in a foggy area. She sees a schoolgirl walking onto the tracks as a train approaches. While Lain yells a silent warning, she is only able to see the girl’s face become ghoulish. As the train zooms by, we see Lain bent over in terror.
Lain finds herself in class again, her paper dotted with tears or perspiration. She tries to focus on schoolwork again, only to find the blackboard blur again. It rematerializes, reading, "Come to the Wired as soon as you can."
As Lain returns home, she suddenly finds herself passing Chisa. When Lain asks where Chisa is, she only receives a smile before Chisa disappears again.