One day, Harold wakes up next to the cold corpse of his sickly wife, Barjean. Calling 911, it is shock to the dispatcher—and the whole Pennsylvanian town, once word gets out—that Harold even has a wife to begin with. Since the time that the two got married, Harold was her only contact—she refused to stay in touch with her family, since they would constantly remind her of how sick she was. For most of her life, she had struggled with seizures. Her sickness got so bad in her old age that she quit going out altogether, instead confining herself to her bedroom where she’d watch televangelist programs.  Barjean’s autopsy comes back suggesting foul play, thus a trial is initiated. Because Harold was her only contact in all that time, he was the only possible suspect. Harold himself was a shut-in, as well, maintaining just one friend. Matthew, the young public defender, did his best to prepare an argument for Harold’s innocence, but on account of his reclusive nature, it was difficult to find anyone to clear his name. Rumors proliferated about him around town, some claiming Harold had enslaved Barjean, while others still said that he abused her.  Trying to get to the bottom of things Matthew visits Harold in his ranch home, peering all the no-trespassing signs. Still, Harold can’t give any definitive evidence that Barjean had lived, let alone that he hadn’t killed her. Asking to use the bathroom, Matthew stumbles upon walls filled with notes written in Barjean’s handwriting: sprawlings about the weather, her tv programs, and Harold. Taking some books of her notes for evidence, Matthew hopes that he can convince a jury of Harold’s innocence from the loving manner he is described in Barjean’s words. In her final years, he was her only caretaker, friend, companion. Matthew hopes he can illustrate this with her journals.  The entire trial falls through, however, when one day Matthew is awoken to discover that another woman in California died of similar causes as Barjean: suffering from epilepsy, it appears she had a seizure and suffocated, leaving a pink tint on her teeth, exactly as with Barjean. Before the trial even starts, Harold is proven innocent and Barjean’s death is ruled a natural tragedy.