An ad is placed in the paper, telling only of a teacher seeking pupils. A disillusioned writer applies, only to come face to face with a surrealistic creature in the shape of a gorilla, named Ishmael.
The book itself, also titled Ishmael, written by Daniel Quinn, is the story of how the writer and the gorilla telepathically debate through a philosophical dialog on various aspects, morals, actions, events and beliefs of human history, trying to get at the core of our problems, and how we may yet salvage ourselves.