Young Einstein

Einstein, living in his Tasmanian family shed shown as the grandfather's laboratory, is drawn to physics rather than the family business. He postulates a mass–energy relation as a way to split beer atoms and make bubbles, hinting at a world-changing breakthrough. This early curiosity sets the stage for the rest of his improbable journey.

After a night of heavy drinking, Einstein applies his idea and splits a beer atom with a hammer and chisel. The experiment triggers an explosion that devastates the shed, a dramatic demonstration of his bold approach. He returns to his parents with a glass of beer showing bubbles and the bold promise of a theory.

On the train to Sydney, Einstein meets Marie Curie and the pompous Preston Preston. Marie is fascinated by his ideas, while Preston immediately views him as a potential rival or threat to his ambitions. The encounter plants the seeds of both collaboration and conflict.

In Sydney, Einstein lodges in a whorehouse and discovers that the patent office will not accept scientific theories. He goes to the university, where he unintentionally erases a professor's work and writes his own theory, drawing Marie's interest but angering the professor. The clash sets up the central tension around his ideas.

Preston tries to woo Marie while his clerk arranges to secure Einstein's formula. Preston ultimately hands the formula over to the Bavarian Brothers, brewmasters who intend to monetize the discovery. The theft marks a turning point from inspiration to danger.

Einstein invents rock and roll and an electric violin, deepening his romance with Marie. A beach demonstration of surfing becomes a moment of inspiration, with Marie wishing the moment could last forever. The playful scene blends science with personal connection.

During a performance at a social club, Marie mentions her interest in Einstein's theory, intensifying Preston's jealousy. Preston uses his influence to pull a move that aims to secure Einstein's formula for himself. The tension escalates toward a direct confrontation over the discovery.

Preston’s scheme leads to a dramatic claim of insanity against Einstein, and he is committed by the Bavarian Brothers. Einstein's electric violin is destroyed, and he is kept isolated as the search for the formula intensifies. The life-altering confinement tests his resolve.

Marie infiltrates the institution as Einstein’s father confronts Einstein in the shower, revealing Preston's plot. When Einstein expresses helplessness, Marie leaves disappointed, deepening the emotional stakes of their relationship. The personal and political conflicts collide in a high-stakes moment.

Einstein rebuilds his violin into an electric guitar and uses it to short out the security system, allowing his escape. He resolves to win back Marie and continue the fight against Preston's misuse of his discovery. The break sets the stage for an international pursuit.

After escaping, Einstein sails a steamboat to France and wins Marie back by promising to stop Preston. Their renewed bond strengthens as they plan their next steps amid the rising stakes of the controversy.

They use the Curie family hot air balloon to head to the Nobel ceremony in Paris that night. The journey itself is a bold, symbolic ascent toward recognition and confrontation. The event blends whimsy with the gravity of their scientific ambitions.

Charles Darwin announces Preston as this year's Nobel Prize winner for his beer bubble discovery. Einstein interrupts Preston’s speech to ask what happens when an atom is split, prompting Darwin to realize the peril and urge Preston to reconsider. The moment reframes the discovery as a weapon rather than a breakthrough.

Preston starts the keg, but Einstein attaches his guitar to drain it and plays a riff to drain its power. Preston tries to kill Einstein, but Marie knocks him unconscious. Einstein radiates pure energy in a massive feedback that triggers an explosion, yet he survives unscathed and is celebrated by the crowd.

In the aftermath, Einstein returns to Tasmania with the keg and the Nobel Prize. He tells his family that he will give his formula to the world, though Marie questions the risks governments could pose. Einstein naively expresses trust in world governments and ends with him playing a rock and roll song, signaling both hope and uncertainty for the future.