Napa State Hospital is one of the largest forensic mental hospitals in the country, where each of the 1,200 patients is criminally ill. They are not guilty by reason of insanity. In his rookie year, psychiatrist Stephen Seager quickly learns that in order to be of help to anyone, he must first learn the ropes to survive. In the entirely unguarded facility he deals with a world peopled by figures from our nightmares.