At an advertising agency in Los Angeles, California, chief executive Daniel Miller celebrates his birthday with associates. That afternoon, he buys a luxury car. Driving home, he mindlessly swerves into the path of an oncoming bus. Moments later, Daniel finds himself rolling along a nondescript corridor in a wheelchair, wearing nothing but a hospital gown. An orderly escorts Daniel onto a tram filled with elderly people. As the tram departs from the station, a woman welcomes the weary travelers to “Judgment City,” where they will spend the next five days. The tram stops at a hotel, and Daniel is shown to his room. After the concierge points out the room’s amenities, Daniel collapses onto the bed and falls asleep. The next morning, he is awakened by a phone call from Bob Diamond, a defense attorney, who asks him to come to his office so they can prepare for Daniel’s “examination.” Daniel dons a white garment, before boarding a tram headed downtown. En route, an old woman marvels at his youthful appearance and asks how he died. Daniel states that he was in a car accident. When he meets Bob Diamond, he asks if he is in heaven. The attorney laughs and explains that Daniel is “between” lives. Having died, he must defend his past life, after which, judges will decide if he can move forward to exist in the greater universe. Daniel needs to demonstrate that he can live without fear guiding his decisions. If he fails to make his case, he will return to another life on Earth. Daniel wonders if he has been in this situation before, and Bob suggests he has endured nearly twenty trials. Over lunch, the attorney tries to assess if his client was generous during his lifetime, but Daniel avoids answering directly. That night, Daniel goes to a comedy club, where he meets Julia, the only other non-septuagenarian in the room. Later, they walk around the hotel grounds, and Daniel learns that the kind-hearted Julia was married and had two children. She expresses optimism about her trial, while Daniel frets about his. The next day, Daniel describes his encounter with Julia to Bob. When they enter the courtroom, Bob brusquely acknowledges prosecutor Lena Foster. Two presiding judges explain that scenes from Daniel’s life will appear on a movie screen, before inviting Lena to make her opening remarks. The sharp-witted prosecutor states her intention to prove that Daniel remains transfixed by fear. She submits as evidence a scene from his childhood, when Daniel refused to fight the school bully who was teasing him. Bob argues that Daniel demonstrated “restraint,” but Lena scoffs and rolls her eyes. Another scene shows Daniel covering for a school friend who forgot his homework. Bob admires the altruistic act, but Lena points out that when Daniel later told his father the truth, the other boy ended up getting expelled from school. After court, Daniel notes Lena’s tenacity, but Bob assures him they had a great first day. The next morning, Daniel learns that a man named Dick Stanley will be his defender. He asks what happened to Bob Diamond, but Dick advises him not to worry, claiming expert knowledge of Daniel’s case. Lena begins by condemning Daniel’s risk-averse nature. She shows him turning down an opportunity to invest $10,000 in an undervalued consumer electronics stock, and cites a moment in Daniel’s career when he failed to negotiate a higher salary, even though he had promised his wife he would not settle for the first compensation package offered. Lena asserts that fear held Daniel back, each time. Daniel seeks counsel from Dick Stanley, but the lawyer has nothing to say. The day concludes with a montage of Daniel’s lifetime of “misjudgments.” Afterward, Daniel runs into Julia in the hallway, and the two make a date to go to the Past Lives Pavilion. There, Julia learns that she was once Prince Valiant, while Daniel watches his former self, a savanna native, fleeing from a lion. At the end of the night, Daniel and Julia kiss. The next day, Bob Diamond returns to the courtroom. Daniel is relieved, until Lena opens with an incriminating scene of him having an anxiety attack prior to speaking before a large audience. Although a friend pushes him onstage, Daniel does not deliver the speech due to an emergency that interrupts the event. Lena argues that if had Daniel returned to give his speech, his career would have taken a favorable turn. Undeterred, Bob counters with a scene of Daniel suffering a snowmobile accident. He points out that his client fearlessly trekked through the snow with a broken leg, but Lena denounces the action as nothing more than Daniel’s survival instinct. At the end of the day, Daniel stops by Julia’s courtroom, amazed by the heroic acts unfolding on her movie screen. She suggests they have dinner at a fine restaurant, but in the middle of their meal, Daniel notices prosecutor Lena Foster at a nearby table and insists they leave. Laughing, Julia tells him not to be so paranoid. After dinner, she invites him to spend the night with her, but Daniel resists, claiming he does not want her to judge him. He takes the tram back to his hotel, where he immediately calls Julia and leaves a message declaring his love for her. The next day, Bob and Lena present their final arguments. Lena shows the scene from the previous night, and asks Daniel why he refused Julia’s invitation. Daniel confesses he was afraid. Bob attempts to frame Daniel’s decision as “thoughtful,” but the judges decide that Daniel must return to Earth. As his tram departs, Julia calls to him from her tram, which is headed to another part of the universe. Overcome with emotion, Daniel escapes from his seat and runs to Julia’s tram, clinging to the vehicle as it gathers speed. Back in the courtroom, Lena, Bob, and the two judges watch on the viewing screen, and agree that Daniel belongs with Julia. The tram doors open, and he falls into her arms.