Subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of his stepfather, Billy Milligan "went to sleep" to protect himself from the pain. In his place other personalities rose: Ragan, the protector of children; Alan, the fast-talking con man; Christene, a cheerful innocent child; Adalana, a melancholy lesbian who yearned for love...twenty-four personalities in total. But when Billy is implicated in a series of rapes and abductions, it will take a devoted psychologist and a landmark trial to discover which personality is responsible, and uncover the dark past that created them.