An official inquiry reconstructs a man's final years while examining suffering, assisted suicide, and the moral meaning of his death.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
A Death Under Suspicion
Matt dies in Manhattan after a party, and the circumstances become associated with possible assisted suicide. Nick begins an official inquiry into the death.
Key Events
Matt Dies After Party — Matt dies in Manhattan after a party. Characters: Matt ShapiroLocation: Manhattan
Death Becomes Suspicious — Matt's death raises questions about possible assisted suicide. Characters: Matt ShapiroLocation: Manhattan
District Attorney Opens Inquiry — Nick begins an official inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Matt's death. Characters: Nick DevivoLocation: Unspecified interview setting
Witness Interviews Begin — Nick interviews people who attended the final gathering. Characters: Nick DevivoLocation: Unspecified interview setting
Building Matt's Portrait
Nick interviews people connected to the final gathering. Their accounts begin reconstructing Matt's life and relationships.
Key Events
Matt's Social Circle Recalled — Interview testimony begins forming a portrait of Matt. Characters: Matt Shapiro, Nick DevivoLocation: Unspecified interview setting
Flashbacks Begin — The story shifts into flashbacks covering Matt's final two years. Characters: Matt ShapiroLocation: Unspecified location
Final Years Reconstructed — Nick's inquiry frames the narrative of Matt's last two years. Characters: Matt Shapiro, Nick DevivoLocation: Unspecified locations
Illness Shapes Matt's Life — Matt's life is presented through his experience with AIDS. Characters: Matt ShapiroLocation: Unspecified location
The Cost Of Suffering
Flashbacks examine Matt's final two years and the impact of AIDS and difficult treatments. The inquiry moves from biography toward an ethical investigation.
Key Events
Treatment Burden Discussed — The investigation addresses Matt's difficult medical treatments. Characters: Matt Shapiro, Nick DevivoLocation: Unspecified interview setting
Assisted Suicide Question Deepens — The inquiry increasingly focuses on whether Matt received assistance in dying. Characters: Nick Devivo, Matt ShapiroLocation: Unspecified interview setting
Portrait Conflicts With Allegation — Personal recollections complicate the legal interpretation of Matt's death. Characters: Nick Devivo, Matt ShapiroLocation: Unspecified interview setting
Moral Questions Remain
The reconstructed portrait complicates the meaning of Matt's death. Nick's investigation leaves the ethical questions surrounding assisted suicide unresolved.
Key Events
Ethical Dilemma Emerges — The investigation exposes tensions surrounding assisted suicide and personal suffering. Characters: Nick Devivo, Matt ShapiroLocation: Unspecified location
Past And Present Interlock — Flashbacks and interviews combine into a fuller account of Matt's final period. Characters: Matt Shapiro, Nick DevivoLocation: Unspecified locations
Death Reconsidered — Nick's reconstruction reframes the meaning of Matt's death and suffering. Characters: Nick Devivo, Matt ShapiroLocation: Unspecified interview setting
Investigation Leaves Moral Questions — The inquiry concludes with unresolved ethical questions about assisted suicide. Characters: Nick Devivo, Matt ShapiroLocation: Unspecified location
Story Breakdown
Death After Party — Matt's death establishes the central mystery and emotional premise.
Manhattan Death — Matt dies in Manhattan after a party.
Suspicious Circumstances — The death becomes connected to possible assisted suicide.
Official Inquiry — Nick investigates the circumstances surrounding Matt's death.
Investigation Opens — Nick begins an inquiry as an Assistant District Attorney.
Evidence Through Testimony — Nick interviews people connected to the final gathering.
Reconstructed Portrait — The investigation builds an account of Matt's life from other people's recollections.
Social Memories — Interviews contribute to a portrait of Matt.
Final Gathering — The attendees' recollections connect the inquiry to the death.
Final Years Revisited — Flashbacks present the final two years of Matt's life.
Flashback Structure — The story moves from interviews into memories of the past.
Illness And Treatment — Matt's experience with AIDS and difficult treatments shapes the reconstruction.
Ethical Conflict — The inquiry explores the moral and legal tensions surrounding assisted suicide.
Suffering And Choice — Matt's suffering makes the circumstances of his death morally difficult to interpret.
Legal Interpretation — Nick's investigation examines the possible assistance involved in the death.
Unresolved Meaning — The completed portrait changes how Matt's death is understood without eliminating its ethical ambiguity.
Death Reconsidered — The accumulated testimony reframes the significance of Matt's death.
Moral Questions Remain — The story concludes with unresolved questions about assisted suicide.
Manhattan prosecutor Nick is charged with looking into the untimely death of city resident Matt, a musician who had AIDS. As she questions Matt's loyal family members — mother Lila and sister Dana — she comes to learn that his closest pal, health-care worker Brian, is an ardent believer in assisted suicide and that he threw Matt a big party before his death. This presents a dilemma for the humane but dutiful Nick.
