Based on a true story, The Elephant Man tells the tale of John Merrick, a 19th-century Londoner who became a star of the travelling freak show circuit. When the renowned Dr Teves comes across Merrick during one of his performances, he takes him into his care at the London Hospital. Here, the legend of the Elephant Man begins to grow, and a beautiful actress named Mrs Kendal arrives, determined to meet the man behind it. Teves and Kendal enter into a complex friendship with Merrick; torn between a desire to help him experience life, and the cruelties they must inflict in order to protect him.