David Haller was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, resulting in him being in and out of psychiatric hospitals for most of his life. Now in his 30s and institutionalized once again, David loses himself in the structured regimen of hospital life that consists of eating, taking medications, and sleeping.

But David's routine is shaken up when a beautiful new patient arrives. Inexplicably drawn to each another, the two share a shocking encounter that makes David realize that the voices he hears and the visions he sees are the result of him being a mutant.

David finds a way out of the hospital and meets a nurturing, but demanding, therapist who utilizes unconventional methods. She and her team of specialists open David's eyes to an extraordinary new world of possibilities.