Nell is raised in the remote backwoods of North Carolina with her mother, never having met anyone else. When her mother finally dies, Nell must confront the outside world. Due to her isolation Nell never learned proper English, only a mangled form. Nice country doctor Jerome Lovell wants to help Nell adjust in her own protected surroundings, while psychology student Paula Olsen and her heartless boss Alexander Paley want to study this rare ‘wild child’ in their laboratory. But how long can Nell’s world remain isolated?