 After college graduation, Heck Prigusivac heads home to New Pristina, Montana, to get a few things before driving to Seattle to teach Latin. His mother s alcoholism (she needs care Heck can t afford) and his gene pool get in the way: Heck s father was executed for murder, his brother Chick is on death row at the local penitentiary, and Heck s rare personality profile suggest he d make an excellent executioner. He reluctantly takes the job as prison "closer." There, his life-long sibling rivalry continues, and he s attracted to Dori Dumchovic, Chick s high school girlfriend and the only woman on death row. Will Heck have to put his lover and his own brother to death?