This documentary follows various modern thinkers, from fields ranging from ethics to cultural philosophy, in locations related to their work and ideas. For example, ethicist Peter Singer talks about the limits of consumer society on the expensive and trendy Fifth Avenue. Cornel West, a noted African-American intellectual, compares philosophy to jazz and blues while driving through Manhattan. Slavoj Žižek denounces popular ecological issues from London's rubbish dumps. Michael Hardt, Judith Butler, Martha Nussbaum and Kwame Anthony Appiah also pass by in this kaleidoscope of contemporary philosophy.