Numbers have a rich and complex history. Who first invented them? How old are they, and how were they developed? How did they come to represent a world of abstract ideas and universal concepts? How do they differ throughout the world today? Who invented algebra, geometry, calculus? How do these ideas affect our daily lives? This film describes the basic principle of numbers - arithmetic, whole numbers, natural numbers, the concepts of zero and infinity - as well as the ways in which numbers and their symbolism have been used in art and other disciplines.