Robert de Niro and Robin Williams star in this powerful, true story of a maverick doctor and the patients whose lives he changes. Dr. Malcolm Sayer is a shy research physician who uses an experimental drug to awaken the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer too, and he reveals life's simple but unutterably sweet pleasures to the doctor.