In the early 1980s, Leonard Mlodinow went to the California Institute of Technology to take up a postdoctoral research position. Fearing he was not smart enough to be there, despite his groundbreaking doctoral thesis, he confided his insecurities to Richard Feynman, the elusive, iconoclastic genius of Caltech (Nobel Prize in Physics 1965). Thus began a journey of awakening for this anxious young man, later the author of "Star Trek," and together an assessment of the great physicist's final years, his collaboration and competition with fellow Nobel laureate Murray Gell-Mann, his contributions to nuclear physics, quantum electrodynamics, and the beginnings of string theory.

Through a series of fascinating open discussions, Mlodinow and Feynman delved into topics related to the nature of science, creativity, love, mathematics, happiness, God, art, pleasures, and ambition. As their relationship deepened, the conversations became increasingly urgent. Because while Mlodinow sought guidance, Feynman was battling cancer - and facing his own end.