Summary

Four years after the tragic death of their two children in a car accident, Dr. Chris Nielsen is estranged from his wife, Annie, a painter who finds solace in deep and mystical expressionist landscapes. When flustered Annie calls him for support, he rushes out to help and is killed in a road accident. His ghost is greeted by an old mentor, Albert, who leads him in Ghost-of-Christmas-Past-style to Annie's side. But when Chris realizes that his adherence to the corporeal world is torture to himself and the living Annie, he breaks free of his earthly bonds and dives into the visual smorgasbord that is the afterlife. There he splashes though clods and gobs of technicolor paint in breathtaking landscapes suggested to him by Annie's paintings. From there, to grandiose Romanesque cities of flying children, Chris and his old dog are met by a gorgeous stewardess, who reveals herself as a nearly forgotten face from his past. As Chris reconciles with his children in a world where imagination is his palette, in the real world Annie becomes sicker and sicker, and finally enters the afterlife herself. Due to the myriad rules of the Other Side, she is unable to join Chris or her children, and Chris begins a fight for his future with his soul mate.

Quotes

Chris Nielsen
I need Annie.
Albert
That'll change in time.
Chris Nielsen
Oh, come on, Einstein! Time's not on my watch anymore. Time does not exist here. And wherever it went, it's not going to make me need Annie any less.

Chris Nielsen
A whole human life is just a heartbeat here in Heaven. Then we'll all be together forever.

Albert
So what is the "me?"
Chris Nielsen
My brain, I suppose.
Albert
Your brain? Your brain is a body part. Like your fingernails or your heart. Why is that the part that's you?
Chris Nielsen
Because I have sort of a voice in my head, the part of me that thinks, that feels, that is aware that I exist at all.
Albert
So if you're aware you exist, then you do. That's why you're still here.

Chris Nielsen
Boy, I screwed up. I'm in dog Heaven.

Chris Nielsen
I found you in hell. Don't you think I could find you in Jersey?

Albert
Thought is real. Physical is the illusion. Ironic, huh? Drink your coffee.
Chris Nielsen
Needs milk.
Albert
Don't push your luck.

Chris Nielsen
That's when I realized I'm part of the problem. Not because I remind you. But because I couldn't join you. So I left you alone. Don't give up, okay?

Chris Nielsen
Is that a kind of occupational hazard of soul mates? One's not much without the other?

Annie Nielsen
Whoever you are, whatever you are, do you think you can take him from me?!
Chris Nielsen
Sorry, babe. There're some things I have to say. I only have a few moments left. I'm sorry for all the things I'll never give you. I'll never buy you another meatball sub with extra sauce. And always the big one. I'll never make you smile. I just wanted us to be old together. As two old farts laughing at each other as our bodies fell apart. Together at the end, by that lake in your painting. That was our heaven, see? There's lots of things to miss. Books... naps... kisses... and fights. Oh God, we had some great ones! Thank you for those. Thank you for every kindness. Thank you for our children. For the first time I saw them. Thank you for being someone I was always proud to be with. For your guts, for your sweetness. For how you always looked, for how I always wanted to touch you. God, you were my life. I apologize for every time I ever failed you. Especially this one...

Chris Nielsen
There's a man Ian never got to know, the man he was growing up to be. He's a good-looking clear-eyed fella... about 25. I can see him. He's the type of guy men want to be around, because he has integrity, you know? He has character. You can't fake that. And he's a guy women want to be around, too. Because there's tenderness in him... respect... and loyalty, and courage. And women respond to that. Makes him a terrific husband, this guy. I see him as a father. That's where he really shines. See, when he looks in his kid's eyes and that kid knows that his dad really, really sees him... he sees who he is. Then that child knows that he is an amazing person. He's quite a guy... that I'll never get to meet. I wish I had.

Chris Nielsen
If I was going through fucking hell, I'd only want one person in the whole goddamn world by my side.

The Tracker
You called your son Albert. Who is that?
Chris Nielsen
First doctor I interned under. He was like a father to me.
The Tracker
Ah. His words were gold. A brilliant mind. Do you recall what he practiced before he turned to pediatrics?
Chris Nielsen
Child...
The Tracker
...psychiatry. Yeah. And he always was a slow reader. But these... used to be rimless, and the rest of me... used to be black.

Annie Nielsen
Can I sit here?
Chris Nielsen
Actually, no. Two years ago, I reserved this specific area.
Annie Nielsen
What if I say please?
Chris Nielsen
That's the one exception.

Chris Nielsen
What's true in our minds is true, whether some people know it or not.

Chris Nielsen
What some folks call impossible, is just stuff they haven't seen before.

Albert
You don't understand.
Chris Nielsen
It's not about understanding... it's about not giving up!

Chris Nielsen
I forgive you.
Annie Nielsen
For killing my children and my sweet husband?
Chris Nielsen
For being so wonderful a guy would choose hell over heaven just to hang around you.