 Nell is raised in the remote backwoods of North Carolina, never having met anyone except her mother and twin sister. When her mother finally dies, Nell must confront the outside world. Due to her isolation Nell never learned proper English, only a mangled form created by her sister and herself; a kind of "twin speak", if you will. 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?