After a suicide attempt, she is introduced to psychiatrist Dr. Corneila Wilbur (Lange). During their sessions, Sybil, who confides that she frequently loses her memory and can't account for large blocks of time, slowly remembers the physical, emotional and sexual abuse to which she was subjected as a child by her mentally disturbed mother. During 11 years of treatments, 16 distinct personalities -- which Sybil had created to cope with the abuse -- emerge, each varying in age and personal appearance.

(Source: Reuters)