An academic is struck by lightning on the eve of the Second World War, but instead of dying, his youth is restored and his intelligence greatly increased. Fleeing the attention of the Nazis, he embarks on a decades-long journey of discovery around the world as he seeks to understand the origins of language. Francis Ford Coppola's drama, starring Tim Roth and Alexandra Maria Lara.

Professor of language and philosophy Dominic Matei is struck by lightning and ages backwards from 70 to 40 in a week, attracting the world and the Nazis. While on the run, the professor meets a young woman who has her own experience with a lightning storm. Not only does Dominic find love again, but her new abilities hold the key to his research.