Death has come for Gramps Northrup. But Gramps has important work to do: raising his orphaned grandson. So, he uses a bit of magic to trap Death in the branches of an apple tree. Clever work, Gramps! Or is it? With Death on hiatus, other folks whose time has come - folks who are worn out, ill and in pain - can't be released from their earthly suffering... and Gramps begins to wonder if he's done the right thing.