Violet Kelty, an elderly recluse, met her death one day within the confines of her isolated mountain cabin in North Carolina.
To everyone's surprise, it was discovered that the old woman lived with her daughter, Nell (played by Jodie Foster), who was a complete enigma to the community.
Nell's behaviour was often erratic and her means of communication was limited to unintelligible language.
Nell's peculiar language will be examined by Dr. Jerry Lovell (played by Liam Neeson) and Dr. Paula Olsen (played by Natasha Richardson), in an attempt to unravel the mysteries of her tragic past.