Magician and circus entertainer Adam Stein (Jeff Goldblum) finds himself in a concentration camp that is presided over by Commandant Klein (William Dafoe). Adams wife and son are sent off to die but Adam is able to survive, causing him end up in a Mental Institution for Holocaust survivors. Adam discovers that he can read minds and he baffles the resident doctors, especially Dr. Nathan Gross (Derek Jacobi). While Adam is at the institute he discovers a small boy who is chained up like a dog. He befriends him and he pretends that he is also a dog and the journey of these two souls begins.