Foreword: Explains the genesis of this book, identifies previously published material and new material, and highlights issues that are addressed in each of the chapters.

Chapter One:
Describes a father's grief journey that is initiated by the death of his son, raising many questions and an anger reflected in the poem.

Chapter Two:
Explores the theme of mortality, as in the one-act play where a man who is not prepared to die objects when an angel of death comes for him.

Chapter Three:
Describes how two parents grieve by inventing rituals and searching for other meaningful activities to help them heal from the unexpected death of their child.

Chapter Four:
Discusses a point in a father's grief journey where he has been influenced by the stories of others and begins to accept his child's death.

Chapter Five:
Examines responses to an expected death and explains how knowing that someone is dying does not diminish the sense of loss when the person dies.

Chapter Six:
Explains how an awareness of death does not have to lead to despair but can become a critical factor for enhancing one's quality of life.

Chapter Seven:
Describes a bittersweet quality about aging - although people lose physical and mental abilities, they may use life experiences to gain a better perspective.

Chapter Eight:
Discusses reasons why human beings need to consciously work on being prepared for their own death intellectually and spiritually and explores what such preparation involves.

Afterword:
Consists of comments from well-known people just before they died.