Marcus grew up in a Jewish New York household with his father James and his mother, though she died of a heart attack when he was fifteen. He is now arriving in Boca Raton to see his father whose liver is failing, and because he won't agree to a liver transplant so the organ can go to someone younger, Marcus prepares himself for the reality that his father will soon pass away. When he arrives, his father begins talking about circumcision, which Marcus laughs off as a result of the heavy medication. As his father continues to talk, however, he realizes that he is entirely serious. He explains that the cemetery where Marcus's mother is buried is only for Orthodox Jews and that he is not a Jew at all. James was born into a strict Christian family in Texas, and his father often beat him. As a teenager, he ran away from home and lied about his age to enlist in the army. When he was injured and returned to the states two years later, he arrived in New York, soon fell in love, and was married. He wanted to convert to Judaism, and spiritually he did, but he could never bring himself to be circumcised, so he lied to everyone except for his wife about the religion he was born into. Now that he is still not circumcised, he cannot be buried next to Marcus's mother. After explaining this to his son, Marcus's father tells him that he has asked a rabbi for his help. After attending the rabbi's services, James plays tennis with him several times a week, and he recently argued his case, which the rabbi was sympathetic towards. He believes the rabbi will agree, especially since he has promised to donate money to the synagogue, but he asks Marcus to confirm the details with him and help make arrangements for the procedure. Marcus meets the rabbi at the tennis courts to argue his father's case, but the rabbi is not as willing as his father made him seem. When the rabbi's tennis partner does not show up for the match, however, he asks Marcus to fill in, saying he will consider his father's request if he is a good enough player. Marcus is reluctant to play his best, however, because of his opponents's old age. When Marcus does finally make a strong play, the ball hits the rabbi's face and sends him to the emergency room. Marcus then goes to a doctor's office to find someone to perform the procedure. On the way there, he reflects on his life. At thirty he had married and had a daughter, but he is now divorced and in a relationship with a heavier woman Vicki, whom he never thought would be his type. When he finally meets with the doctor, she refuses to perform the risky procedure which could cost her her license, even when Marcus attempts to bribe her. Marcus leaves, but not before gathering some supplies on his way out. Because James continues to refuse the transplant, Marcus is soon asked to take his father home from the hospital. His father's condition worsens, and Marcus is still unable to find anyone to perform the surgery. So Marcus tells his father everyone has agreed, gets him drunk on wine until he falls asleep, and hurts his father's genitals so they will feel sore, covering them in gauze from the doctor's office when he is done. When his father awakes, he shows him a letterhead he took from the doctor's office, and James believes the procedure was successful. Then Marcus and the rabbi take the dying man to be bathed in a lake to mimic the ceremony.