When Bloom and Brian decide to work with Dignitas in Switzerland, many people ask why they don’t stay in the US. Bloom explains that while states including Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, and Vermont have right-to-die laws, many do not allow people living out of state to seek assisted suicide. These states also require one be terminally ill, with a six-month prognosis. Bloom feels that these laws intentionally discourage patients from seeking voluntary death. Therefore, Dignitas is Bloom and Brian’s only option.

Brian begins to lose his memory after a hip surgery. He and Bloom guess that his memory issues are related to the anesthesia used in the procedure. However, Brian’s condition continues to worsen, worrying Bloom. Furthermore, Brian’s surgeon is skeptical that Brian’s memory issues stem from the surgery. Over the course of the six subsequent weeks, Brian becomes obsessed with the past. The more distant he acts, the more upset Bloom feels. Her communication with Brian has begun to dissolve, too. She feels like a pane of glass has been erected between them and that she is powerless to remove it.