Detective Toshimi Konakawa, a police investigator, suffers recurring nightmares fixated on an unsolved murder and the pursuit of an unidentified figure. These dreams consistently end with a plunge into whiteness, causing him profound distress. He undergoes therapy with Paprika, the dream-alter ego of Dr. Atsuko Chiba, who uses an experimental device to enter his dreams. During sessions, Konakawa shows deep resistance to discussing cinema despite possessing extensive knowledge of filmmaking. Konakawa's past holds a pivotal abandoned ambition: as a youth, he collaborated with a close friend on an unfinished film. Its story involved two friends—one becoming a fugitive, the other a police officer—locked in an endless chase. Konakawa abandoned the project due to self-doubt, leaving his friend to finish it alone. This friend later gained acceptance to film school but died from illness. The film's final scene mirrored Konakawa's nightmare: a cop aiming a gun at a fleeing man's back. This unresolved creative endeavor and personal loss instilled deep guilt, symbolically manifesting in his dreams. His psychological journey intensifies as Paprika guides him through a layered dream structured like an elevator. On the seventeenth floor, the "special section," he confronts a homicide victim bearing his own face. Smoke rises from Konakawa's gun, revealing he has symbolically killed himself. Paprika interprets this as "another him," representing repressed aspects of his identity—particularly his abandoned artistic self and unresolved grief over his friend. The number seventeen becomes an anxiety trigger linked to this traumatic revelation. A breakthrough occurs when a bartender asks about his filmmaking past, prompting Konakawa to recall his deceased friend. He recognizes this friend as both the fugitive in their film and the mysterious figure in his dreams. This realization connects his detective career to a subconscious effort to "live out their movie in reality," substituting law enforcement for their unfinished creative work. During the climax, as dreams and reality merge, Konakawa reenacts his nightmare pursuing Dr. Morio Osanai (embodying the fugitive role). He shoots Osanai in the back, an act that proves fatal in reality. This violent resolution represents Konakawa’s psychological decision to "end this for good," metaphorically concluding his recurring dream and the unresolved narrative of his film. Following the restoration of reality, Konakawa achieves reconciliation. Observing his reflection, he sees his deceased friend and accepts that his detective career honored their shared creative vision. Paprika later messages him, recommending the film "Dreaming Kids," symbolizing his reintegration of cinema into his healed identity. The narrative concludes with Konakawa purchasing a ticket for this film, signifying acceptance of his past and renewed engagement with his repressed artistic passions.