Harry Potter regresa por quinto año a Hogwarts aún sacudido por la tragedia ocurrida en el Torneo de los Tres Magos. Debido a que el Ministro de la Magia niega el regreso de Lord Voldemort, Harry se convierte en el centro de atención de la comunidad mágica. Mientras lucha con sus problemas en el colegio, incluyendo a la nueva profesora Dolores Umbridge, intentará aprender más sobre la misteriosa Orden del Fénix.
La Dra. en literatura Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) parece estar feliz con su vida aunque se enfrenta al mundo con cierto escepticismo. De repente, se encuentra con un genio (Idris Elba) que ofrece concederle tres deseos a cambio de su libertad. En un principio, Alithea se niega a aceptar la oferta ya que sabe que todos los cuentos sobre conceder deseos acaban mal. El genio defiende su posición contándole diversas historias fantásticas de su pasado. Finalmente, ella se deja persuadir y pedirá un deseo que sorprenderá a ambos.
Asaltado por recurrentes sueños nocturnos con mujeres temibles, bellas y sexualmente dominantes, Edgar trabaja en un experimento científico: un grupo de hombres hablará de sexo de forma directa y abierta mientras dos mujeres jóvenes toman notas taquigráficas. Está prohibido flirtear y hacer bromas.
Jerusalén, Israel. Los profesores Eliezer y Uriel Shkolnik, padre e hijo, han dedicado sus vidas al estudio de las escrituras judías. Eliezer es un erudito testarudo y metódico que nunca ha sido reconocido por su trabajo; Uriel es una estrella en ascenso, alguien admirado y alabado por sus colegas. El frágil equilibrio que ha mantenido casi intacta su relación personal se quiebra de forma inesperada debido a una simple llamada telefónica.
In 1923, Gregory Vance, a widower with two children, is a former scholar who has turned from book to bottle. He works, slightly, as a night-watchman, and his children, who know him for what he is and what he isn't, are his only admirers. Then, it is discovered that he is the only registered voter in a key precinct and the politicians, from both parties, arrive in droves bearing inducements. What he does about this situation, and the relatives who want to take his children away from him make up the story.
Because of the war, a 12-year-old boy from England, Hugh, is sent to live with the Andrews family in Ohio. Don, the Andrews' 11-year-old son, eagerly accepts the English boy, and is happy when his school-friends do the same. But his isn't so happy when things begin to change when his father fore-goes their evening game of Chinese Checkers to play chess with Hugh, and Hugh shows himself to be a formidable scholar, and impresses Don's girlfriend Betty, and becomes more popular with the boys than Don was...and Don is beginning to think that Hugh is too much of a good thing. Don gets downright depressed and decides to run away. Uh, oh, here comes Hugh.
Virgil, a college writing student, hopes to have his latest story published, but he must first get over one major hurdle before his work gets out to the world, his mercurial writing professor Richard Laymen.
Being educated and knowing how drink, A-Ni is seen as the town's madwoman. Yulu is entranced by her.
A winemaker overcomes the ignorance and illiteracy of his era to become a Torah commentator who defends the right to spiritual choice and freedom in the 11th century.