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An unnamed man explains to his wife that his wound no longer hurts, despite the terrible odor. The pair are stranded on an open plain in Africa, as their safari truck has broken down. They are waiting for a plane to pass over the area so they can light a signal fire and be rescued. The man believes that he will die soon, but his wife disagrees and is upset by his morbidity. The man has a wound that’s been infected with gangrene, a fatal condition. Facing the possibility of his own death, he becomes increasingly rude and blunt, telling his wife that he never loved her.
The man, whose name is revealed to be Harry, thinks back to his youth when he spent some winters in the Austrian Alps during World War I. Although terrible things happened during the war, Harry looks back on the time as one of freedom and excitement. In a particularly happy memory, Harry remembers skiing down a pure white mountain on Christmas. Back in the present, Harry continues to complain about his wife and the negative effect her wealthy lifestyle has had on his writing and creativity. He admits that she is a pleasant, thoughtful person, but blames her for destroying his talent. He then reminds himself that he is responsible for wasting his own potential, and that in choosing to marry this woman he traded his vitality for luxury.
Harry’s wife has her own struggles. Her first husband and one of her adult children have died, and in her grief, she chose to partner with Harry as she believed he was an independent and complete man. Harry decides to take back his previous mean-spirited words and tells his wife that he really does love her, so as not to hurt her feelings.
Harry remembers many prominent moments from his youth, from fighting a British gunner for an Armenian prostitute to destroying his marriage because his wife had discovered a letter he wrote to a former lover. He also remembers a traumatic event from WWI, when he witnessed Greek soldiers being slaughtered by the Turks in Anatolia. Harry realizes that he will die before he has the chance to write any of these important stories. In the present day, Harry wants to write, but he is too weak. He feels that, if he could only write one good paragraph, he’d be able to say everything he needs to say.
Harry remembers a hunting cabin in a beautiful forest that belonged to his grandfather, which burned down into a heap of ashes. He also remembers living in a hotel in Germany after the war and spending his days happily fishing in a trout stream. The following season, inflation hit Germany hard, and the hotel owner killed himself. Harry also recalls living in Paris, in a rough, poor neighborhood. Despite the living conditions, Harry was never happier or more creative than when he lived there. Once again, Harry realizes that he’s never written about his pivotal years in Paris. Harry also remembers an upsetting memory from a time when he worked on a ranch. The ranch hired an intellectually disabled chore boy to look after the ranch while the other workers were away, telling him to keep the hay safe from any thieves. Following orders, the boy shoots a man who tries to steal the feed, and the workers find the corpse when they return. Harry is tasked with tricking the boy into following him to a nearby town, where he is arrested for murder.
In the present, Harry thinks that his current wife, and all her wealthy peers, are tedious people. He also reflects on how little fear he feels toward his approaching death. He used to fear the pain of death, but the gangrene has eradicated the pain of his wound. He recalls a time during WWI, when a fellow soldier, Williamson, was struck by a bomb and disemboweled. The agony was so terrible that Williamson begged his friends to kill him.
Harry hears a hyena make a noise near their camp and knows that death is close. Harry feels that death comes and rests its head on Harry’s cot. As it moves closer, it loses its shape and becomes a mass that occupies space and keeps Harry from speaking or breathing. He feels a great weight upon his chest.
The following morning, the rescue plane arrives, piloted by a man that Harry recognizes as Compton. Compton tells Harry that there’s only enough room in the plane for him and that he’ll return later for his wife, whom Harry finally identifies as Helen. Harry is loaded into the plane and waves goodbye to Helen and the safari guides. The plane moves toward a dark range of mountains and flies through a torrential storm. When they emerge from the storm, Compton points to the view ahead: the brilliant, white peak of Kilimanjaro. When Harry sees the mountain, he understands where he is truly going.
Back at the campsite, Helen is awoken by the eerie cry of the hyena. She sees Harry on his cot—where he’s actually been this whole time—and his bad leg sticks out. The bandage has fallen off, and the extent of his gangrene is finally visible. Horrified, Helen calls for help and tries to awaken Harry, but she realizes she cannot hear him breathing.
