In a future where technology has advanced to the point where humans can undergo "optimization" to rid themselves of emotions and increase their mental functions, one man decides to cling to his humanity in an effort to atone for his sins and appreciate the beauty of being human.

A young boy's frank essay on moral principles is erroneously published in the local paper, and the resulting fallout is mayhem for both the boy's family and the paper's editors.

One night while visiting his mother, a man contends with the nature of faith and family.

A woman on a grand jury hears the case of an older woman who was brutally raped by one of her former students. She attempts to understand the different ways the story disturbs her.

After he suffers from a coronary at age thirty-eight, a Jewish lawyer from Manhattan moves south to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he uses his legal expertise to help people in need and make peace with his imminent death.

Professor gives a talk about the human appetite for death

After his death, a Judge converses with an old friend and a philosopher about the reality of an afterlife and grapples with the idea of regaining people he’s missed his entire life.

A moral judge whose courtroom decisions are sometimes aided by the supernatural judgements of a unicorn must choose between his desire for a beautiful young thief, and his determination to be morally worthy of the unicorn.

A grocer in desperate need of help enlists a lawyer to fix his problems, though he refuses to trust the lawyer enough to actually receive help.

In a lengthy dialogue, two men, possibly a psychologist and a patient, discuss adultery, sin, desire, and life.