Gary takes the cat to the vet thinking he's not feeling good. He is obligated to leave him there overnight, but rushes to the clinic in the morning for the paper, only to find out it's not there (nor is the cat). The cat mysteriously appears at Eunice's (the vet's mother) house with the paper, and Gary wonders if the cat decided to abandon him. He later finds out that the cat only wants him to save Eunice, who was madly in love with Lucius Snow 40 years ago and is now dying from cancer.

While out in the snow, Gary encounters two men, Earl Camby, a reformed criminal who now devotes his life to helping those less fortunate than himself, and Cliff Mourning, a sleazy motel operator. As Gary tries to save Earl's life when a building collapses on him, he reads that Cliff is going to succumb to a heart attack. Torn between leaving Earl alone to die while he saves an ungrateful human being, Gary contemplates a decision that could ultimately tie the two men's lives together.