Freak City tells the moving story of a young woman, played by Samantha Mathis, who is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and is institutionalized by her family. Alone and feeling abandoned she struggles to regain her sense of dignity and independence by bonding with a wide assortment of fellow patients. Other residents at the home include Jonathan Silverman as a blind man, Marlee Maitlin, a slightly retarded woman, and singer-actress Natalie Cole as a blues singer injured in an accident and left with severe mental and emotional challenges. Working together they share many funny and sometimes bittersweet moments and celebrate overcoming their challenges as a family brought together by circumstance.