Imagine a child who cannot trust her parents. Imagine a child who is terrified of her mother and who suffers daily brutality at the hands of her brother. Imagine a child so badly damaged that she needs to hide from her daily life. Now imagine how far she will go to escape all this.

Dissociative disorder, or multiple personality disorder, was the result of this young mind fracturing itself in an attempt to avoid the horror and the trauma of this little girl's life. This is a true story of incredible bravery, persistence and hard work. After many years of suffering on both her part and that of her loved ones, Cordelia found the strength and support she needed to work through the pain of her earlier years and get to know the many children who shared her body.

This is a full and frank account of Cordelia's journey back to health, guided by her estimable psychotherapist, Frieda. They manage not only to beat the odds and reunite Cordelia's myriad personalities, but to make important steps in research into dissociative disorder and its treatment.