A usual parabola is given by y = ax^2 + bx + c. In this case, we have x = ay^2 + by + c. The two are much the same really, except that in the second case, the parabola is 'on it's side'.
It is actually two square roots, pasted together though. You can see this by solving the equation for y, resulting in your usual "y = f(x)" graph. For general a, b, c:
y = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac + 4ax} }{2a}
(Two equations, one for + and one for -!)
If you graph these, we get (using a = 1, b = 2, c = -1 for example):
(The two don't meet in the middle exactly because Maple has trouble graphic them there.)If you really can't figure out the shape of a curve, why not simply try to draw a few easy points on paper? Like (0,0) or (0,1), (1,0) etc... You will most likely recognize a familiar shape from that, and you can then go on and analyze the curve equation further.