Gary is a lawyer working in modern-day Spoonington, Indiana. When he attends a dinner party with his wife, Dinah, another guest has a severe allergic reaction to the salad. Because the guest is only allergic to walnuts, it must be that, but the host claims that the dressing contains no walnuts. Gary tastes the dressing himself and detects the smallest hint of walnuts, a hint so minor that a scientist is later amazed that he picked that up. The scientist refers Gary to a man, Pete, who offers to hire him as a taster for snack food companies at a rate of $250 an hour. Gary thrives at his new job, but Dinah comes to resent his success. After being invited to a food convention in Zurich, Gary suggests that Dinah tag along so that they can enjoy the honeymoon they never had. Dinah counters by asking for a divorce, claiming that his newfound success has revealed that they were never all that compatible. She moves out, and Gary soon learns that he’s suffering from stomach cancer. Disobeying his doctor’s advice, Gary hops on a plane to Zurich and sits alone at a restaurant, where he orders one of everything.