Andrew Wrangles has a decision to make. His best friend Sothum, a philosophical and financial genius, has just died and left him a choice in his will: ten million dollars or a sealed envelope.
Andrew's wife Cheryl doesn't see this as much of a choice. She wants Andrew to take the ten million, and what little patience she has for his speculating about what might be worth more than the money is wearing thin very quickly.
But as Andrew digs deeper into the secret life of the mind that Sothum lived, he finds a new mystery behind every clue. Does the envelope contain the fate of a vanished mutual friend? A breakthrough that could secure Andrew a place in the history of philosophy? Or is Sothum just playing a final private joke at his friend's expense?
In order to make his decision, Andrew must ultimately confront some questions he has long avoided: about the true nature of his long friendship with Sothum; about the choices he has made (or refused to make) in his own life; and--perhaps--about the limits of the human mind itself.
Andrew's wife Cheryl doesn't see this as much of a choice. She wants Andrew to take the ten million, and what little patience she has for his speculating about what might be worth more than the money is wearing thin very quickly.
But as Andrew digs deeper into the secret life of the mind that Sothum lived, he finds a new mystery behind every clue. Does the envelope contain the fate of a vanished mutual friend? A breakthrough that could secure Andrew a place in the history of philosophy? Or is Sothum just playing a final private joke at his friend's expense?
In order to make his decision, Andrew must ultimately confront some questions he has long avoided: about the true nature of his long friendship with Sothum; about the choices he has made (or refused to make) in his own life; and--perhaps--about the limits of the human mind itself.
