The story behind this hit play would be remarkable if it was completely fictitious, but the fact that it’s true makes it all the more powerful.

Adam, written by Frances Poet and directed by Cora Bissett for the National Theatre of Scotland, follows the journey of Adam Kashmiry from Egypt to Scotland and from girl to man.

The audience is privy to every tortured thought and desperate action of the titular character, played by Adam himself, as he navigates the unknown world of gender transition.

His tension and confusion is ramped up to excruciating levels in the tightly-scripted narrative, aided by innovative stage design and visuals, before finally giving way to a giddy rush when Adam is liberated via a series of testosterone injections.

At times the gritty naturalism of the plot means the story is necessarily slow-moving, but this pacing allows the audience to understand and empathise – as much as we can – with somebody stuck in a body that feels alien.

In fact, arguably the turning point of the show sees Adam, at that point still a teenage girl, type a hypothetical question into a search engine: “Can the soul of a man be trapped inside the body of a woman?”

As a flood of results reveal the personal stories of trans people around the world, Adam realises there is a way to achieve the one thing that he has yearned for for as long as he can remember.

This idea of trans community is at the heart of the most affecting part of the production. Adam features a choir made up of 120 trans people, and we see many of their faces displayed on the screen behind the stage as they deliver a rousing chorus in unison. “We are Adam”.

It’s a simple, beautiful way to show that nobody is alone in their journey of self-discovery and that, with considerable medical assistance, you can truly be who you want to be.