New Orleans. April 10th, 1834. The home of Creole society belle Delphine Lalaurie and her respected physician husband catches fire. As Madame recruits her neighbors to save expensive artworks, firefighters smash through a padlocked attic door and enter a scene from Hell--a tiny, reeking room holding more than a half-dozen chained slaves. They have been starved, tortured, outrageously mutilated. The sheer horror of it spawns a haunting legend that has endured for over 150 years.

Who was this woman, this "Mad Madame Lalaurie," and why would she commit such ghastly atrocities? Or did she commit them at all? For the first time, original historical research reveals the truth behind the legend. Find out what really happened in the house at 1140 Rue Royale the house some people call the most haunted place in America. For the first time, find out who the woman behind the horrifying legends really was.