The origin of species

In mid-1980's Montreal Alex Fratarcangeli hides out in a seedy apartment near the Concordia campus, a somewhat oafish 30-something grad student. Though tender and generous at heart, Alex leads a life devoid of healthy relationships. Alex attends daily sessions with a lackluster psychoanalyst in an attempt to shake off the demon of depression. Whenever Alex's thoughts grow darkest, he is compelled to recall Desmond, the British professor with dubious credentials whom he met years ago in the Galapagos. It is only now that Alex can begin to comprehend these unlikely life lessons, and see a glimmer of hope shining through what he had thought was meaninglessness.