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Anders, a cynical book critic who is famous for his scathing reviews, is stuck in line at the bank. He is irritated about this, particularly as he is stuck behind two women he finds annoying. His is worsened when one of the bank tellers closes her station. The two women in front of him, also angry, insult the teller to one another. They turn to Anders and invite him to join in. Though equally frustrated, Anders is even more irritated by the two women, and he refuses to participate in their mockery, belittling them even though he technically agrees with them.
Just then, two men in black ski masks and blue business suits walk through the door. The two men are both armed. The first man presses his pistol into the guard’s neck and demands total silence. He then turns to the tellers and says that they will all be “dead meat” if any of them notifies the police that there is a robbery in progress. Everyone is silent except for Anders, who cannot stop himself from making fun of the robber’s clichéd expression to the horrified woman in front of him.
The second man, who has a shotgun, immobilizes the guard, then moves slowly toward the security gate at the end of the counter. The other robber orders the tellers to let his partner past the gate, and the man hands each of them a bag. When the robber comes to the empty window, he asks who usually works at this station and the woman who closed her section just before the robbers entered says that it is hers. The robber makes fun of her appearance and tells her to approach her station immediately. Anders then turns to the women in front of him, who had previously mocked her, and says sardonically, “Justice is done.”
Anders’s comment draws the attention of the robber with the pistol. He reprimands Anders for talking, and Anders makes fun of the robber for the second time. The robber then walks over to him and presses his pistol against Anders to threaten him. The robber asks if Anders thinks he is “playing games,” and Anders says “no” while trying not to laugh because the pistol is tickling him. To keep himself from laughing, Anders stares directly into the man’s eyes—the only feature Anders can see through the ski mask. The robber is unnerved by Anders’s eye contact. He places his pistol under Anders’s chin and forces him to look up at the ceiling.
Anders begins to internally criticize the mural on the bank's ceiling, which he feels is a clichéd and crude representation of moments from Greek mythology, particular the representation of Zeus and Europa in bull form. Anders is clearly amused by the ugly mural and the robber asks him what he finds “so funny” about the situation. He then threatens Anders. To confirm that Anders understands the danger, the robber says, “Capiche?” and Anders cannot stop himself from laughing, yet again. Enraged, the robber takes his pistol and shoots Anders in the head.
The bullet travels through Anders's brain and time slows down. The narrator then lists a series of key events from Anders’s life that he does not remember or reflect on in his final moments. Instead, he recalls a baseball game from his childhood. He remembers how his friend Coyle’s visiting cousin asked to play shortstop because, in his words, it is “the best position they is.” Anders recalls being struck by the cousin’s unconventional phrasing, which he found “unexpect[ed]” and “music[al].” The story ends with Anders repeating the phrase “they is” to himself over and over.
