Thomas Becker has played it straight for his entire life. When his sister suddenly looses her husband he moves to Portland, Oregon, to help her. In doing so, he rediscovers his need for place, for family, and for the simple things that he has forgotten along the way. He’s not exactly sure what that means, but his life so far has been spent moving from city to city working as a prosecutor perusing and pursuing the worst that life has to offer. So, with the change of scenery, he decides to leave the legal profession and open an antiques store. How Thomas goes about acquiring his inventory is how this entire story unfolds; from auctions of the recently departed, found through the public listings of the probate court. On a very rainy Christmas Eve, a day before his birthday, Thomas will receive the greatest gift a person could receive; the most important of things.