A man's accidental poisoning triggers a day-long journey of paranoia, moral reckoning, and eventual peace.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Fatal Mistake
The insurance agent's marital argument leads to insomnia, prompting a pharmacy visit where a doctor mistakenly dispenses poison instead of a sleeping pill.
Key Events
Sleepless Night — Agent argues with wife, leading to severe insomnia. Location: Home
First Interruption — External event stops the initial suicide attempt.
City Wander — Agent drifts through urban spaces, feeling increasingly hunted.
Stranger & Conscience — External encounters force the agent to confront his internal guilt.
Chance Encounter — Meeting a stranger heightens paranoia and complicates his path.
Priest Confession — Agent reveals his moral debt to a spiritual figure.
Resolution & Peace — Misunderstandings are cleared, leading to emotional and physical rest.
Misunderstandings Cleared — Priest's guidance dispels the agent's false fears.
Natural Sleep — Agent returns home and sleeps peacefully without medication.
A middle-aged insurer, after spending a sleepless night because of a quarrel with his wife, goes to the pharmacy to buy a sleeping pill. By mistake, the doctor, instead of giving him a sedative, gives him poison. The man goes out of town to visit a client and, unaware that he is wanted by the police, is more than once about to swallow the pills; but every time an obstacle prevents him from fulfilling his purpose.
