At the end of World War II, Jimmy Picard, a Native American Blackfoot who fought in France, is admitted to Topeka Military Hospital in Kansas - an institution specializing in mental illness. Jimmy suffers from numerous symptoms: dizzy spells, temporary blindness, hearing loss... and withdrawal. In the absence of any physiological causes, he is diagnosed as schizophrenic. Nevertheless, the hospital management decides to seek the opinion of Georges Devereux, a French anthropologist, psychoanalyst and specialist in Native American culture. Jimmy P. tells the story of the encounter and developing friendship between two men who would never normally have met, and who appear to have nothing in common. Together, they embark on an exploration of Jimmy’s memories and dreams.