Everyone sees him as a genius—able to solve the hardest problems in seconds. But for him, it’s not a gift. His mind never stops racing, and while others cheer, he feels alone, overwhelmed, and trapped inside his own thoughts.

‘SPOILER ALERT’

A boy named Nathan gets diagnosed with autism at a very young age. Even though the doctor tells his parents, Michael and Julie, that the condition can be a gift for Nathan, he adds that it can also affect him socially and emotionally. Despite his condition, Nathan appears to connect more with Michael while he just treats Julie as a regular person.

One day, after leaving the house together, Michael tells Nathan that even if it sometimes feels like he and Julie don’t understand him, they still love him. He also mentions that it’s almost as if Nathan has superpowers, and they’re just unable to understand how he’s able to do unique things. As Michael then tries to tell Nathan that he doesn’t need to be scared, a truck hits their car, and they get involved in an accident.

All the people in the neighborhood are shocked by this, and as Julie also comes out of her house because the accident happened nearby, she sees Michael’s car and looks devastated. While Nathan appears to be slightly hurt, Julie sees that Michael is dead, and she cries in disbelief. A while later, Julie and Nathan attend Michael’s funeral with a few friends.

At the ceremony, Julie tries to hold Nathan’s hand, but he refuses to let her do this because he’s not comfortable with physical contact from anyone who is not Michael. Julie looks disappointed by this, and as she tries to forcefully take his hand, he runs away. Days later, while Nathan is solving some random math problems in his room, Julie comes over to meet him to ask if she can help him with them.

Nathan says she can’t, and as Julie asks why he thinks so, he mentions that she’s just not clever enough. Julie looks disappointed to hear this, but she doesn’t say anything. A while later, Julie takes Nathan to a high school to enroll him in advanced classes.

After Julie tells the Headmaster about Nathan’s condition and his special interest in pattern and numbers, he calls the school’s new maths teacher, Martin, to check out what Nathan has done in his workbook. As Martin sees it, he looks impressed and wonders how Nathan has been able to solve complex problems at his age without anyone teaching him. The headmaster then tells Julie and Nathan that Martin was actually very good at Maths when he was younger.

Martin says it was a long time ago, but the headmaster mentions that the teacher was so good that he competed in the International Mathematical Olympiad, which is a highly-rated high school competition organized for the world’s most brilliant young mathematicians. Julie is shocked by this, but the headmaster says it’s the truth. He also tells Nathan that he can win medals as a mathematician one day because he’s very smart.

Nathan doesn’t respond to this, but the headmaster says he’s sure that Martin will be able to teach him well. Julie looks happy about this, and even though Martin is initially unsure about the private lessons, he agrees to do it. Following this, he and Nathan leave the headmaster’s office and eventually stop in front of a class.

Nathan then asks why Martin doesn’t walk well, and he says it’s because he has multiple sclerosis. Martin also asks why Nathan is weird, and he says he has superpowers. Martin looks confused by this, but he eventually realizes that Nathan is autistic. He then tells Nathan that even though he doesn’t consider himself a good teacher, he’ll do his best during their lessons. Nathan doesn’t say anything, but as Martin offers to shake him, he asks what it’s for.

Martin says it’s what people do when they agree, but Nathan says he doesn’t like doing that. Martin doesn’t seem to care, and he says that everyone always has to do something they don’t like. Nathan then shakes his hand, and they head to the class for their first lesson. Days later, Nathan starts reading about the International Mathematical Olympiad because he hopes to compete for the main prize one day.

Years later, Nathan is now older, and he heads to school for the British Mathematical Olympiad selection exam. When he gets there, he appears to be the only student from his school interested in the competition, and Martin hands him the question paper and tells him not to be nervous. After a while, Nathan finishes his exam, and on his way home with Martin, he asks when he can expect to get the result.

Martin says it should be ready in a week, but that he wants Nathan not to be too bothered about it. Shortly after, they stop at a park, and Nathan asks what went wrong for Martin at the Olympiad. Martin says he was struggling with his condition at the time, and he just lost control of his emotions.

Nathan says he can’t lose control, but Martin mentions that he doesn’t have to prove a point to anyone. He adds that what matters is for Nathan to enjoy doing maths and being himself. The next day, Julie places an order for seven prawn balls at a restaurant. The restaurant staff then explains that the option she selected usually comes with six balls, but Julie begs him to make it seven because her son needs the number of balls to be a prime number.

The staff eventually agrees to do what she wants, and Julie looks relieved. When she gets to the car and gives Nathan his food, he complains about how it was split up. Julie says sorry for this, but Nathan mentions that she never gets anything right. Julie looks frustrated as she hears this, and she shouts at him for not even appreciating everything she has been doing for him. Nathan doesn’t respond to this, but Julie instantly regrets her outburst and says sorry to him.

Nathan then remembers a time from the past when he had dinner with his dad at a restaurant. Even though Nathan seemed particularly concerned about arranging his meal, Michael still made him laugh by rubbing ketchup on his face and sticking chips up his nose. About a week later, Martin comes to Nathan’s house to show him a letter containing his result for the selection exam.

Nathan then invites him into the house, and Julie also looks excited to hear the outcome of the exam. Almost immediately, Martin reads the letter and announces that Nathan has been selected to be part of the United Kingdom Maths Squad that will travel to Taiwan for a training camp. Even though Julie and Martin are excited about this, Nathan doesn’t show any emotion, and he says he needs to head to his room to study.

After he leaves, Julie asks Martin if he would like to have a glass of wine with her, and he agrees. Shortly after, while they’re having the drink, Nathan watches them from his room and accidentally drops his small telescope, which breaks a part of the glass roof covering where Martin and Julie are sitting. Julie looks disappointed by this, and Martin is forced to leave before their conversation ends.

Julie then goes to Nathan’s room to tell him that she and Martin were just talking. Nathan says he wasn’t watching them, but Julie says it feels good to be able to talk to someone because she sometimes gets lonely. Nathan doesn’t respond to this, and as Julie leaves his room, she heads to the garage and enters Michael’s old car.

She then remembers a time from the past when she called Nathan to change his pet fish’s water while he was playing with Michael. As he heads inside, he gets distracted and ends up staring at the fish while it’s out of the water. Julie sees this and quickly runs to the kitchen to stop him from killing the fish.

Unfortunately, Nathan has already poured water on the kitchen floor, and Julie slips and mistakenly knocks him down. She then tries to help him get back up, but he runs away, and this makes Julie sad because she feels neglected by her son. The next day, Martin arrives at the house to follow Julie and Nathan to the airport.

Nathan then tells Martin to sit with him at the back of the car, but Julie thinks it’s best for his teacher to sit in front because of his legs. As she mentions that she’ll drive safely, Nathan doesn’t seem to care, and Martin agrees to sit with him at the back. Shortly after, they arrive at the airport and meet a man named Richard, who will be taking Nathan and the other selected kids to Taiwan.

Richard remembers Martin as a kid who was really good at maths at a young age, but he says his case is like a wasted opportunity because he ended up becoming a teacher at a secondary school. Martin doesn’t look happy to hear this, but he just mentions that he’s Nathan’s maths teacher. Richard then properly greets Nathan and tells him to come inside to sign in and meet the other kids.

Before Nathan leaves, Julie calls him back and thinks about hugging him, but since she knows that her son won’t like it, she decides against it and tells him to call her when he lands in Taiwan. Nathan doesn’t respond to her, and he just walks away with Richard. When he gets to where the other kids are, a boy named Isaac comes over to meet Nathan to introduce himself.

Nathan also says his name, but as he seems shy, Isaac realizes that it’s his first time attending a maths camp. He then tells Nathan not to worry about it because he’ll be fine. Following this, they sit down together, and Nathan meets the other kids, including a boy named Luke, who talks too much and seems to be quite good at maths.

Shortly after, the kids board a bus headed to their plane, and inside there, Richard congratulates them for making it to the preliminary squad. He then mentions that only six of them will eventually be chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the International Mathematical Olympiad. He adds that they’ll be training with other national teams, including China, who are usually the best team at the competition.

After a while, they board their plane, and as Nathan feels nervous, he starts reciting the Fibonacci sequence to calm himself. A girl named Rebecca suddenly starts reciting it with him, and as Nathan looks confused, she tells him that she likes the sequence because it’s useful for music composition. Nathan doesn’t respond to her, and Rebecca says it’s good to see that he’s not like the others, who enjoy showing off their math skills.

Nathan still stays silent, but as he keeps staring at her strangely, she asks what the problem is. Nathan says it’s nothing, but that he’s just used to being the weird one. He adds that the other kids seem quite good at Maths, and Rebecca makes fun of him for being average because he’s not the weirdest or best mathematician on the team. After a while, they land in Taiwan, and Richard takes the team to join a class of Chinese students, who are being taught by a man named Deng.

Richard and Deng happen to be good friends, and they’ve also agreed to let their teams train together in the same class. After a while, Richard announces that he and Deng would like to pair each member of the UK team with a Chinese buddy. As each person then gets a Chinese partner who will show them around and help them with anything they need, Nathan gets paired with a girl named Zhang Mei.

When they both get to the front of the class, Zhang Mei tries to shake Nathan, but this makes him uncomfortable, so he keeps his hand to himself. Zhang Mei notices this and thinks he’s being shy, so she just nods at him, and he does the same thing. Later that day, all the students head to a restaurant for dinner, and there, Zhang Mei introduces Nathan to Deng as her uncle. Deng says that Nathan is lucky to be learning from Zhang Mei, and that he has really high expectations for her. Zhang Mei doesn’t seem comfortable with him saying this, but she stays silent.

After a while, Deng talks about Zhang Mei’s performance in the mock exam and says that his niece still has some weaknesses. Nathan feels intimidated and says he’s not that good, but Richard says he’ll soon be. Shortly after, Zhang Mei leads Nathan back to the dorm, and on the way, he starts feeling strange. As she asks what’s wrong, he tells her in Chinese that he’s feeling hot. Zhang Mei sounds excited that he can speak Chinese, and Nathan says he’s learning it by himself from a book.

As he keeps speaking Chinese, Zhang Mei mentions that since they met, he has said more words in her language than in English. She adds that he speaks it quite well, and Nathan says she’s also good at speaking English. Shortly after, Nathan and Luke are paired to be roommates. As they get to their room, Luke complains about how it looks, but Nathan doesn’t say anything. After Luke leaves the room to use the bathroom, Nathan arranges his things and sees a call from Julie but ignores it.

He then calls Martin and talks about how he’s not the smartest mathematician on the team. Martin tells him not to be bothered by that, and he also mentions that Nathan has to think positively. The next day, in class, Deng asks a question, and Luke gives an answer, which he believes is the correct one. Richard says he’s not convinced by the answer, and Isaac says the same thing. Richard then asks if Nathan would like to say anything, but as he just stays silent, the teacher says it’s quite disappointing that he hasn’t contributed to their lessons yet.

After the class, Richard looks at Nathan’s notes and admires his work, though he mentions that Nathan seems to be overcomplicating simple problems. He says that things can be much simpler than they appear, and he asks if Martin never taught him that. Before Nathan can respond, Richard says that Martin never lived up to his full potential.

Nathan says it was because of his illness, but Richard believes it’s just an excuse Martin uses to please himself. As he then talks about successful people who had illnesses but still achieved great things, he mentions that Martin’s main problem was his attitude. Back in the UK, Martin goes to see his doctor to ask for more pain relief drugs.

His doctor believes he’s depressed, and she advises him to join a group therapy session, but he says he’s not interested. Just then, he gets a call from Julie, who asks if he can come over to her house. When he gets there, Julie says she wants him to teach her maths. As he prepares for their first lesson, Julie asks if Nathan has called him again, but Martin says he hasn’t. He then mentions that he’s sure Nathan didn’t mean anything by calling him instead of her.

As he says that Nathan doesn’t really think about those things, Julie says she has never really connected with him because he doesn’t think she’s clever enough. She also mentions that she’s trying to learn maths so she can get into his head more and try to be closer to him. Martin believes her reason is valid, and he starts teaching her.

Interestingly, the class goes on well, but it turns out that Martin and Julie are both attracted to each other. Back in Taiwan, Nathan sees Rebecca playing a piano, and even though he tries to walk away so he won’t disturb her, she calls him to join her. She then asks if he has played the instrument before, but he says he hasn’t. As she plays it and talks about how it’s like maths, Nathan gets the chance to play it too, and he does quite well. Rebecca is shocked by this, and as she wonders if he lied about never playing the piano before, Nathan insists that it’s actually his first time.

A while later, Nathan meets up with Zhang Mei, and they walk around the city together. Shortly after, they stop at a park, and Zhang Mei tells Nathan about the Chinese approach to maths. She also shows him a Chinese book called the Nine Chapters of Mathematical Art, which emphasizes how the Chinese people think of maths as a form of Art.

As Nathan is then about to eat his food, he sees that he has eight prawn balls, and he complains about this. Zhang Mei then removes one of them and eats it so that he’ll be left with seven just as he wants. The next day, in class, Richard asks a question and calls Nathan to answer it because he has been hiding at the back. Nathan looks nervous as he hears his name, but Zhang Mei encourages him to go out to solve the problem. Following this, Nathan heads to the front of the class, and Rebecca seems to be nervous because she doesn’t want him to embarrass himself.

Even though Nathan initially places his head on the board, he removes it and solves the problem. Richard is impressed by this, and the other students clap for Nathan, with Zhang Mei looking very happy. Elsewhere, Martin thinks about what his doctor suggested, so he goes to a group therapy session to talk about his drinking problem and how he’s scared of what will become of him when his condition gets worse.

He also mentions that even though there’s someone he likes, he can’t help but think about how his condition could ruin things for him. Back in Taiwan, Luke gets into an argument with Isaac over the kind of questions they should be practicing for the competition. As he leaves angrily, Isaac mentions that he has met people like Luke before.

Another boy named Pav then tells Nathan that Luke is definitely autistic. As Isaac says that Luke has picked up all the bad traits, Nathan asks what he means. Pav then mentions that Luke is obsessive, and Isaac says he’s also socially incompetent. Nathan feels sorry for Luke, but Isaac says it’s all about adaptability, and that sometimes, people have to change their shape so they can fit in. The next day, Nathan spends more time with Zhang Mei in the streets of Taiwan, and even though he believes they should head back to the dorm to prepare for the next selection exam, she tells him that having a clear mind is just as important.

She also mentions that she’s sure they’ll both qualify and go to Cambridge for the finals. She adds that she’ll come to the UK and spend some time with his family before the exam. After a while, they stop at a restaurant, and Nathan asks Zhang Mei if people like him get bullied in China. Zhang Mei doesn’t get why anyone would do that, and Nathan says he wishes England was more like China. Zhang Mei also mentions that she wishes things were different in China because everything they do is for their family.

She adds that people even think she’s only part of the Chinese maths team because Deng is her uncle. Nathan says it’s not true because she’s very clever, and Zhang Mei thanks him for this. The next day, the two teams sit for the final selection exam, and Nathan gets nervous in the class.

After the exam ends, Nathan looks worried because he thinks he didn’t do well, but Zhang Mei tells him not to think about it too much. Shortly after, Richard announces the results, and Nathan takes the last slot in the team ahead of Luke, who is unhappy about this. A while later, the teams participate in a group fishing activity, and as Zhang Mei notices that Nathan looks sad because he was the last pick, she tells him to be happy because he still got in.

She also mentions that she nearly missed out, but she thinks it’s worth celebrating that they both got in. Meanwhile, Luke sits alone, and Isaac and Pav make fun of him. They also seem happy that they won’t have to see him anymore, and Luke looks sad. Shortly after, while everyone is sitting at a table, Luke intentionally acts weird so that they can make fun of him. Nathan feels sorry for him, and after Luke heads to the restroom, he follows him.

He then sees that Luke has hurt himself, and this leaves him shocked. However, Luke says it’s not his first time, and that it’s only worse because he got carried away. He then asks how Nathan’s parents told him about his condition. Before Nathan says anything, Luke mentions that his parents called him unique and gifted after he was diagnosed, but that he no longer believes it. Nathan says he’s truly gifted, but Luke says he doesn’t even enjoy maths.

He then walks away, and Nathan doesn’t know what else to say. The next day, as the students are about to head to the airport, Richard calls Nathan aside and tells him that even though he admires his work, he’s worried about Nathan’s unpredictable and inconsistent nature. He adds that Nathan needs to focus on the competition and avoid getting distracted by his Chinese guest.

After this, they head to the airport and return to England. When Nathan gets to his house with Zhang Mei, Martin and Julie welcome them back with a decoration that involves using Nathan’s train set. While Zhang Mei appreciates this, Nathan looks annoyed that they brought his train set outside, and he walks away.

Julie then goes to apologize for bringing the train set outside, but he doesn’t say anything. She then asks about Zhang Mei, and Nathan says she’s quite clever and nice. Julie asks if he likes her, but Nathan doesn’t understand the question. Julie then asks if he likes Zhang Mei more than ice cream or maths since they’re the two things he likes the most. Nathan says he doesn’t like anything more than maths, and Julie mentions that she wishes he called her during his time in Taiwan so she could know how he was doing.

Nathan asks why he had to call her, and Julie says she likes him more than ice cream. Later that night, Zhang Mei asks Nathan about his dad, and he says he’s dead. Zhang Mei says it’s sad that he had to lose someone who loved him so much, but Nathan doesn’t understand this.

After thinking about the moments he spent with his dad before he died, Nathan starts looking for a mathematical equation for love, and even though he finds it, he still doesn’t understand what it means. The next day, Julie drops off Nathan and Zhang Mei at Cambridge because that’s where they’ll be staying before the competition. After a while, Richard takes the students around Cambridge and encourages them to do their best and not let him down.

The next day, the team attends a ceremony where they get to meet other teams and introduce themselves to everyone. Later that night, Zhang Mei struggles to sleep alone in her room, so she comes over to meet Nathan to ask if she can stay with him. Nathan agrees to let her stay, and as they talk about what he’s reading, they realize that they’re attracted to each other.

The next morning, Deng enters Nathan’s room and sees Zhang Mei sleeping there. He looks shocked and scolds her for not staying in her room. He also calls her a disgrace to their family, but Zhang Mei doesn’t get why everything has to be linked to that, even though she’s just in Cambridge for a competition.

Deng insists that she’s letting their family down by spending time with Nathan instead of studying for the competition. Zhang Mei says she has already proven how good she is, but Deng says she hasn’t. This gets Zhang Mei pissed, and she mentions that she won’t stay for the competition if she’s truly just there because of her uncle.

Deng says she can’t leave, but she walks out angrily. Shortly after, Zhang Mei packs her things, but Nathan tries to convince her to wait until the end of the competition. Zhang Mei then tells him to stop asking her to do something she doesn’t want to do.

As she mentions that leaving Cambridge doesn’t mean she has stopped liking him, Zhang Mei leaves the room with her things. Much later, all the finalists are told to head out to the venue of the exam. On the way, Rebecca pulls Nathan back and says sorry for what happened to Zhang Mei. It then turns out that she was the one who reported Zhang Mei to Deng because she was jealous of her closeness to Nathan. Shortly after, Julie shows up at the venue to cheer for Nathan and wish him best of luck.

Nathan doesn’t show any emotion, and he says there’s no such thing as luck. Julie doesn’t respond to this, and she just watches him head to the exam hall. Before the exam starts, Martin happens to be one of the officials who will be monitoring the students, and he tells Nathan not to be nervous because he’s sure he’ll do well.

A few minutes later, the exam starts, and Nathan feels overwhelmed as he reads the first question. He also gets flashbacks of the moments he spent with his dad, and as he sees Michael in the exam hall, Nathan just takes off his tag and decides to leave. Martin looks confused by this, but he stops Richard from following Nathan.

Julie looks shocked to see her son leaving the school, and as she asks what’s wrong, Martin says he could see it in Nathan’s eyes that he didn’t want to be there, so he didn’t stop him. Following this, Julie heads out and sees Nathan inside a nearby restaurant. As she sits with him, Nathan tells Julie that Zhang Mei said she likes him.

Julie then asks if he feels the same way, but Nathan says he can’t quite work it out despite already finding a mathematical formula for love. He, however, mentions that when he’s around her, his brain and body work differently and feel strange. As he says he doesn’t know why it matters, Julie says it does because when someone loves him, it means they’ve found an interest in him that they think is worth something.

She adds that it can sometimes feel unequal when he loves someone, and they don’t love him back. As she asks if he understands what she means, Nathan asks why Michael had to go because things made sense when he was around. Julie feels sad and asks what Michael did that she hasn’t been able to do.

Nathan then says that Michael made him laugh and even used to stick a chip up his nose. Julie says she can do that too, but as she sticks a chip up her nose, Nathan feels sad because it only reminds him of Michael. He then tells Julie that it hurts, and she says she knows how he feels. As he cries, Julie touches his face, and he holds her for the first time and allows her to hug him. After this, Julie asks where Zhang Mei is, and Nathan says she went to the train station.

Julie then suggests going to meet her, and they quickly head to her car. Surprisingly, Nathan decides to sit in the front seat next to Julie, and she can’t seem to believe this. As she’s also about to start the car, Nathan holds her hand, and this makes her happy because he now appears to be comfortable around her. Following this, they head to the station to find Zhang Mei so that Nathan can confess his feelings and be with her.

Even though Nathan always seemed like a boy who could never fully understand human interactions or how to fall in love, his trip to Taiwan changes him when he meets Zhang Mei. He initially acts shy around her, but as they get to know each other better, he realizes that she makes him feel strange in a good way.

As his experiences with her also make him open up to Julie about how he really felt when Michael died, he eventually began to feel comfortable around his mom. Julie is incredibly happy about this, and she accepts his decision to forfeit his chance to win a medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad, so he can go to the train station to find Zhang Mei.

A Brilliant Young Mind 2014 .