One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Streaming McMurphy had a criminal record and was once again in trouble and was sentenced by the court. To escape his duty to work in prison, McMurphy complains of madness and is sent to a mentally unstable ward. Coming here, McMurphy endures and testifies to the abuse and decline of the oppressive Nurse Ratched, who gains superiority and power through the flaws of other prisoners. McMurphy and the other prisoners unite to show a rebellious attitude towards the evil nurse.