Not everything is what it seems - a tombstone doesn't necessarily mean the end of a person's life. The remarkable short stories included in this book narrate eleven extraordinary cases with the common theme that life challenges death. So, prepare yourself for the meeting with a Tibetan monk as he contemplates his way out of a Chinese prison, a Mexican mythomaniac's idea of true beauty, and the secret caller of a Russian Duchess. You will encounter a ruthless German concentration camp commander, a shipwreck survivor in the Indian Ocean, and a spy novel writer with emerald eyes. You will be shown how too much luck can become a strikingly sad experience, how the prospect of taxes can be more aggravating than the knowledge of looming death, and that orchestrating your own demise for a new life is a daunting task indeed. There's an account of the repeated delays for a man condemned to death because he refuses the humiliation of getting down on his knees yet another time. Most terrifying of these captivating tales is, perhaps, the unique opportunity to listen in on the cut-up confession of a plastic surgeon after his execution.