Terence Beynon, a 53-year-old Canadian philosophy professor has been kicked out by his girlfriend of 20 years. He flees to Northern Italy in order to find some peace of mind and to write a book on Friedrich Nietzsche. He becomes pally with a local waitress, Alessandra, whom he tries to seduce, but to no avail. His life takes a sudden turn when Nick, a strange young man, enters his life. Nick also happens to be Death. Shortly afterwards Terence suffers a heart attack but survives. Nick recognizes this stroke of luck and offers a pleading Terence respite of his inevitable fate. There begins for him a search within the depths of his soul, the whys of his life and the hunt for redemption, coupled with a wavering belief in Nick's true identity. Having reached the conclusion that Nick is a psychopath, Terence decides to leave Italy and fly back home. Yet Nick manages to follow him. He realizes that the short time still apportioned to him is best used for closing off the last painful chapter in his life and to find ultimate peace that way.