The film introduces us to Paul Giamatti playing himself, desperate to have to represent ‘Uncle Vania’, from Chekhov. Paralyzed by anxiety, he finds the solution to his problem when he reads a New Yorker article about a company that promises to alleviate suffering through the freezing of the soul. Giamatti goes to the company and they extract his soul, which he will recover when he finishes his work with the work.