Harry Cohen, a thirty-eight-year-old lawyer from New York City, suffers from a coronary that makes him reassess the trajectory of his life. He decides to move to Vicksburg, Mississippi to offer free legal representation for people in need. While there, he meets another lawyer, W.C. Grierson, who Harry learns is a massive bibliophile with an extremely extensive library. They become friends, and Harry uses Grierson's library for research for his cases. One of his cases is for a man named Rand McNally. He was brought in for insulting two police officers. A few days later, however, Harry gets notified that police in Louisiana suspect he committed a rape-murder. Grierson contacts Harry to see if he wants help on the case, and Harry accepts and lets Grierson, who is more experienced, take over as Rand's primary representation. When they go to the jail to speak with him, Rand immediately confesses to the crimes and says he thinks he should be put to death. The lawyers decide to try to plea insanity. Harry is perplexed by Rand's statements and thinks about his own mortality. After his first cardiac arrest, he knows that it is only a matter of time. He stops working and spends his time visiting graveyards and contemplating life. He learns that Grierson succeeded in pleading insanity, but Rand hanged himself in the hospital anyway. Harry decides to risk his life by eating greasy food and drinking beer. That night, he has his second cardiac arrest. Grierson visits him in the hospital and they talk about history and grace. Grierson's extensive knowledge from a life of reading comforts Harry, and he decides to spend the remainder of his life studying, as Grierson has, to be at peace.