On a visit to Gabon, an American sociologist couple purchase an infant ape in order to study its development in an "enriched environment" — taking it back to California and raising it as a human being — and gain insight into human behaviour. The ape, named Silver, displays a remarkable aptitude for human skills, like using a toilet and brushing his teeth. Most shockingly, the ape can also speak — and after a long, eventful life among the humans, he has plenty to say. Scathing and poignant, Silver is a no-holds-barred critique of modern life, told from the tragic perspective of a civilized animal stranded in the wilderness of Western society.