After an accident, Earl suffers from anterograde amnesia, unable to form new memories beyond a ten minutes. Earl is in a hospital room, and as he reads the notes he has written to himself. Because of his condition, he uses an intricate system of notes, photographs, and tattoos to keep track of essential information, particularly related to the primary goal that drives him: finding and avenging the person who attacked him and killed his wife. After many bouts of confused memories, taking him from place to place, Earl wakes up and he has killed the man. He is taken away from the body, by either the police or a taxi — he isn't sure. In the car, he goes from satisfied to suddenly frantic and wants to write down a note to himself, but the driver doesn't give him a pen. The cat hits a pothole and Earl forgets where he is. The moments he has with him have lost their meaning. Once again, he has to figure out where he is and what he's done.