In The Bedside Manners, Philip Marlowe is in a vulnerable position, recovering from a fractured leg that has left him bedridden. The private detective is accustomed to being on the move, solving cases with a sharp mind and quick reflexes, but now he finds himself confined to his apartment, grappling with the frustration of inactivity. His solitude is interrupted when Audine Patterson, a wealthy client from a previous case, insists on visiting him to discuss her brother Maynard's troubling situation.