An unnamed novelist discovers he has become Dylan Funk, the novel's supporting character destined to be killed by the antagonist's wife. The immediate crisis unfolds as a debt collector named Albert corners Dylan's sister Delia, demanding repayment of their sick mother's $3,000 medical debt. Albert gives Delia an ultimatum: pay the impossible sum or come with him, promising to cover her mother's care. Faced with a desperate choice, Delia reluctantly agrees to go with Albert to save her mother, despite Dylan's frantic attempts to stop her.