A cure for Alzheimer's. A Nobel Prize. An honored place in medical history. All of this hangs in the balance as scientists race to find the cure for a rare disease found on one remote Pacific island. The Illness & the Odyssey tells the story of a deadly, mind-wasting disease that could, potentially, hold the key to solving the riddle of so many other neurological nightmares. The film features the renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks and as well as many other luminaries in the field of neuroscience. Based on the book "The Island of the Colorblind" by Dr. Sacks, the film traces the struggle to solve a medical mystery plaguing a native population living on Guam.