Will Salas is a Dayton factory worker who lives with his mother Rachel. One night at a local bar, he saves the drunken and suicidal Henry Hamilton from an attempted robbery by local thief Fortis and his gang. Hamilton, who is 105 years old, reveals to Will that the truth about time wealth is that there is plenty of time for everyone to live a long life. The people of New Greenwich hoard most of the time for themselves in order to live forever, while constantly increasing the cost of living in poorer districts to keep people dying. Hamilton gives a sleeping Will 116 years of his time, leaving himself with 5 minutes. He then sits on a nearby bridge and times out, falling dead into the water. Will awakens to a message from Hamilton not to waste the time he was given, and rushes to the bridge too late to stop the suicide. Raymond Leon, leader of the police-like Timekeepers, leads the investigation into Hamilton's death, and incorrectly assumes that Will robbed and killed Hamilton.