Nick Stark is a Los Angeles architect graced with vitality, good looks, loyal friends, a thriving career, a down-to-earth attitude, and an irreverent sense of humor. Lately, however, Nick's vision and memory have been short-circuiting, and his headaches won't go away. Although he looks healthy, he has been fending off AIDS-related illnesses for years. And now, just before Christmas, his doctor tells him that untreatable lesions (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) will decimate all his faculties within days. He might die quickly, or linger in a vegetative coma, never to recover. Nick decided long ago that he would never linger; his friend Tony, a former health professional, will help him die with dignity. But Nick, who has always known how to live, intends to savor his remaining time by gathering everyone he loves for a two-day farewell party.