World renowned anthropologist Curtis is consumed by grief over his young daughters' deaths. He finds solace in immersing himself in preparations for his upcoming expedition to Asia, where he aims to unravel the mystery of "The First Man." However, he must confront an undercurrent of family conflict as he battles against his relatives' unsettling suspicions that his wife Martha is carrying his best friend Bigelow's child.

Miron, a socially awkward twenty-year college student whose best friend is a taxidermized dog, develops an unhealthy fixation for another student after a brief encounter.