Neutral begins with a brief introduction to its main character Elizabeth. In early childhood Elizabeth had been found to suffer from the inability to emotionally attach to others. Her rearing was then transferred from nannies to psychologist. The psychologist struggled over her diagnosis. They found that Elizabeth exhibited the features of both autism and schizotypal disorder. Additionally confusing were Elizabeth’s gifts, which included an eidetic memory. Elizabeth’s treatment failed to cure her of her lack of attachments and of her lack of self.
Now an adult, Elizabeth has no core personality or judgments. She is pathologically neutral. These symptoms, coupled with her life long indoctrination in psychology, actually make Elizabeth into a genius clinician. She has a full and varied counseling practice, and heals many clients. The book is divided into her client sessions. Her practice includes a pre-operative transsexual, a crypo-zoologist with post traumatic stress disorder, and a dysthymic fashion model. There are additionally several personality disordered people and neurotics under her care. The reader effortlessly learns the characteristics of each disorder and of the treatment methodologies used.
As the plot begins, Elizabeth is sent a court ordered client named Brian. Although he has served his time in prison, Brian is still an active pedophile. Elizabeth cannot ethically treat him, or legally stop him. This moral conflict and feeling of helplessness is new to Elizabeth. Unable to think outside the perimeters of psychology, she is unequipped to cope with Brian. In order to manage, Elizabeth begins to subtly absorb the personality traits of her other clients.
The new Elizabeth creates a plan to manipulate her client Emanuel, who suffers from cyclical rage, into murdering Brian for her. Elizabeth changes Emanuel’s files and plants images in his mind in order to insure that after he commits the murder he will be acquitted on the insanity defense. Elizabeth even believes that the five years that Emanuel would then serve as an in-patient would actually benefit him.
As Elizabeth decides if she should act on this diabolical plan, she hypothetically consults her supervisor. Not only does he offer no guidance, he unintentionally causes her to loose her way even more so. Elizabeth now confused and experiencing guilt for the first time in her life, decides to see a priest and a pastor. She approaches faith from a strictly psychoanalytic perspective, and the Bible from a culturally unfiltered view. Having no sins of her own, Elizabeth begins with the priest by confessing her client’s sins. She then disorients him with her photographic recall of the entire Bible. The exhausted priest refers her to a pastor who does manage to impact Elizabeth. After seeing the pastor, Elizabeth converts from psychoanalytic to cognitive-behavioral psychology. However, she gains no relief or faith.
Elizabeth does finally act on her plan. Emanuel murders Brian. Elizabeth doctors Emanuel’s records and coaches his subpar lawyer. Emanuel is released into a psychiatric hospital and the pedophile Brian is dead. Upon returning to her office after the murder, Elizabeth receives a call from the mental health clinic which had referred Brian to her. Elizabeth discovers during the call that the man she had Emanuel murder was not the pedophile Brian at all. The victim was in fact Brian’s cell mate from prison. The cell mate suffered atypical dysmorphic disorder and so had absorbed Brian’s personality as his own. The reader then realizes that atypical dysmorphic disorder is also Elizabeth’s real diagnosis, and Elizabeth realizes her own sin.
