After her parents are killed in a fire, Ilse (portrayed in the episode by a young Ann Jillian) is taken in by the town Sheriff and his wife. She was, it seems, an experiment to her parents and is believed to be mute. A teacher eventually discovers that Ilse is telepathic and conducts an unusual experiment where her entire class thinks the same thoughts directed at Ilse.This popular long-running series centered around paranoia, uncertainty and bizarre events, often with a wicked sense of humor and an unexpected twist. Series creator Rod Serling called The Twilight Zone, "a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It lies between the pit of man's fears, and the summit of his knowledge".