Marcus du Sautoy journeys from the pyramid to the football, from fundamental particles to our ideas of art, from insect life to architecture, from computer science to psychology, and explores what is perhaps the most significant concept in mathematics. He shows that symmetry is at the basis of communication and evolutionary biology; at the very heart of life. And he brings us face to face with the oddball mathematicians, both past and present, who have battled to understand symmetry's elusive qualities.