The mathematician in Pi, a brilliant number theorist, begins his theory with Galileo’s axiom i.e. mathematics are the language of the world, and with Pythagora’s one : everything is number. His thesis consists of thinking that the world is ruled by numbers series ; such as the omnipresence of Fibonacci’s sequence and the golden number with its associated spiral. Focusing his researches on the number pi, his results and his failures conduce him to think about the ontological nature of the world, and his discussions with his ancient master, a go player, about the notion of consciousness that may have a computer.

Aronofsky make a braid with the researches of knowledge, power and God. The adepts of the last two will try to alienate the research of the mathematician whose genius conducts him at the edge of existence. Nevertheless, access to the ultimate knowledge completely transforms him and an essential cerebral metamorphosis is brought about : the prodigy does not compute any longer; he knows.