Hestler is a man waiting in the line that all humans must wait in. The line is impossibly long, with people waiting in it for decades. Once one gets to the front, if one has all of the right paperwork, one is freed to not work again nor worry about money for the rest of one’s life. Hestler was given a position in line that’s further up than most people his age because his father died prematurely. He waits with his cousin, Galpert. While they’re waiting, they see people die in line, as well as one man lose his place. Hestler doesn’t want to start trouble, considering how close he is to the front, so he does not help the man that unfairly lost his place. Finally, Hestler gets to the front, hands over the paperwork, and is freed. But the future he’d spent so long waiting for dissatisfies him pretty quickly. He looks through the facts of the people waiting for their turn and decides to get back in line.