One morning, a brother and sister make breakfast when they see an old man steal fruit from their trees. They know that the old man must be a Senescent, and therefore illegal, and the brother goes to shoot him. When the brother sees that the old man is badly injured, he takes pity on him and brings him inside.
The brother and sister feed, clothe, and bathe the old man despite their fear that someone will find out. The girl, who works at an embryo lab, and the boy, who works in construction, leave the man during the day, but grow fond of him at night.
After a month, the man's leg wound has become very infected, and they guess that he will die soon. On the news, a $5000 reward for a Senescent is announced. As the brother goes to help the old man bathe, the old man asks to be buried. In the other room, the sister calls the authorities. As he hears this, the brother goes to get his gun but can't bring himself to mercy-kill the old man. They hear the mob arrive.