Call Me Mule is the story of a man who loses his way in life.  His seemingly successful life explodes in the blink of an eye.  His only thought is to flee – avoid facing the horror of the unspeakable transgression he feels that he is responsible for.  He decides to escape into the wilderness – to leave his identity and former life behind and see if he can rediscover what makes life important – to return to the Natural World – life without the Noise of Civilization. 

Accompanied by two pack mules, he takes off into the wilderness  – naïve and adrift.  He is in search of an answer he doesn’t know where to find or if it even exists. 

Above all he seeks redemption.  From who or what he doesn’t know.  He wanders in the wilderness on the Canadian-Washington border for several weeks until winter forces him back down to civilization.  There he begins a meandering journey throughout the West, staying on the fringes of society so as not to attract attention and because he feels most comfortable with fellow outcasts. 

His mules soon become the most important part of his life.  He depends on them for survival, as well as learning valuable lessons from them.  They become his confidants, he bonds with them in a very deep way.  The mules are also the source of many humorous and awkward incidents as he is traveling through towns and cities with two animals who have minds of their own. 

He remains anonymous – saying, “You can call me Mule”, when asked his name.  He is aloof, speaks in cryptic terms, and interacts with people only when necessary.  His cloak of anonymity draws people to him.  He is an enigma – a walking anachronism.  People begin to project all types of identities and powers on him – he is a mystic – he is on some sort of spiritual quest – he is a guru.  He does not discourage them – he is merely amused.  He becomes somewhat of a celebrity, which is initially flattering, but ultimately proves to be a double-edged sword. 

During his trek throughout the West, he occasionally contacts a former colleague, Peter, back in Washington state to keep tabs on events there and to relay messages to his wife.  In the pilot episode, we learn that he was a lead scientist for a BioTech firm in Seattle that was working on cutting-edge research into new immunotherapies for use in treating the AIDS virus in the early 1980’s.  During a Phase 3 clinical trial, a number of patients suddenly developed a “cytokine storm” in which the immune system goes into overdrive and winds up causing death.  This brings back painful memories from his childhood of his Mother’s death and triggers overwhelming feelings of guilt and failure.  He is constantly plagued by the fear that his part in causing the death of innocent people will someday catch up with him.  He is beset with the constant feeling that people are pursuing him.

In each town he visits, he meets someone and gets involved in their personal drama, or in the life of the town.  He often meets people who, like him, are lost or are in crisis.  He offers a sympathetic ear and encouragement.  Sometimes he provides medical assistance to people who are sick or injured.  He gradually rediscovers a purpose in life.  We learn of the youthful idealism that led him to a career in medicine and science and how he has strayed from that original inspiration.

He eventually realizes that he cannot find redemption searching out in the world.  He can only find it within – by confronting himself and what he has done.  There is no atonement – only understanding, acceptance and love.  He discovers this in a most unexpected way.  He discovers that searching is as important as achieving your goal.  He learns the value and power of stillness and quiet.  The serenity of a still pond attracts much life. 

Interspersed throughout his travels are moments of transcendent visions of nature which he quietly observes in moments of sublime reverence (a la Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life.  His journey becomes a lens through which we see the plight of the millions of homeless in our country who have fallen through the cracks in our society and who have given up hope.  In a ironic way, his search is aligned with theirs.