England, 1899. When young doctor Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) arrives at Stoneheart Asylum in search of an apprenticeship, he is warmly welcomed by superintendent Dr. Lamb (Ben Kingsley) and a mesmerizing woman named Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale). Edward is intrigued by Lamb's modern methods of treating the insane...until a series of unusual events leads him to make a horrifying discovery, exposing Lamb's utopia and pushing Edward to the limits of his conscience. Loosely based on the short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" by Edgar Allen Poe.