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.

At a monk retreat, a guilty pharmacist tries to reclaim his attention span—and take accountability for what he has done.

While teaching a student his practice, an ailing Buddhist monk reflects on his life and his violent relationship with his family.

A Buddhist monk tells a visitor about an enchanting woman he met and why he feels he must redeem himself.

After being laid off from his job, a man struggles to find meaning in a utopian world where all of his basic needs are already met for him.

As she walks alongside the Hudson River with her friend, a woman excitedly explains her intricate vision of what would give her happiness.

In this metafiction, the many lives of an unnamed man are scrutinized as he passes through millennia.

A middle-aged man working for a Jewish organization in New York plunges into a mid-life crisis when his wife and children leave him, leading him to rethink his religion and career choices.

A research psychologist visits a peculiar asylum patient who recounts his life story. The patient warns the researcher about how obsession with the pursuit of knowledge can make one lose sight of their humanity until it is unsalvageable.

A man's lonely life focused on the pursuit of reason and music leaves him questioning what more there may be in the lives of other people and of religion.