"In a cartoon fantasy without words, this film explores the meaning and importance of symbols in human communication. It raises questions about the value society places on original thinking and the price that individuals must pay for not conforming. A young man is taken through several stages of learning from a state of apparent idiocy to a state identified by others as genius, and back again. But is he really an idiot . . . or is he a misunderstood genius?" - Summary from the teacher's guide.