影片讲述了一对处在敌对关系之中的父子的故事。父子二人都在耶路撒冷的希伯来大学工作,他们都是犹太法典的专家,而且都是颇有个性和怪癖的怪人。由于在对待荣誉和学术问题上,父子二人分歧过大,所以这两个学者之间产生了早已超越父子关系的抵牾。儿子是一个喜欢追名逐利的当代学者,而他的父亲却是一个非常严肃、非常守旧的古典派的学者。在父亲威严的外表下,他其实也是一个渴望得到认知和认同的人。父子俩的矛盾一直没有公开化和扩大化。但是,当以色列国家奖要颁发的时候——这是以色列国内奖励学者的最高奖项——父子俩的矛盾终于爆发了出来,这是一出令人苦恼而且没有结果的对抗。The story of a great rivalry between a father and son, both eccentric professors in the Talmud department of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The son has an addictive dependency on the embrace and accolades that the establishment provides, while his father is a stubborn purist with a fear and profound revulsion for what the establishment stands for, yet beneath his contempt lies a desperate thirst for some kind of recognition. The Israel Prize, Israel's most prestigious national award, is the jewel that brings these two to a final, bitter confrontation.